Horrific moment wedding photographer is wrestled to the ground and pistol-whipped by armed attackers

Cell phone footage captured the horrific moment a wedding photographer was wrestled to the ground and pistol-whipped by armed attackers in front of terrified newlyweds.

Video posted online shows how two men in dark Nike sweatshirts, face masks and dark sweatpants approached the unidentified photographer in broad daylight at San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts on November 9.

It was just one of two assaults on wedding photographers at the Palace of Fine Arts that day, after a recent poll found that a majority of San Franciscans believe their city is going downhill, and a third plan to leave the city within three years. 

In the video from Wednesday, armed men could be seen trying to grab the photographer's camera and gear from his camera bag — but the would-be victim manages to hold on to his belongings.

At that point, the two men start threatening the photographer with their guns, one of which appeared to have been modified for an extended clip.

The victim tries to run away, running past the shocked groom in a light colored suit with a red kerchief and his new wife, in a red dress, before he falls on the ground.

The groom seemed to try to help the man while he was down, but the armed attackers soon came back, holding him to the ground and whipping him with their gun before they ran off.

Shocking video shows the moment two men in dark clothing approached a photographer in broad daylight at San Francisco's Palace of the Fine Arts

The unidentified victim struggled to free his camera case and equipment from the would-be thieves in front of the newlyweds he was photographing

The groom appeared to try to help the victim after he ran from his attackers and fell nearby

The attackers held the man to the ground and pistol whipped him before fleeing the scene

Another video from earlier in the day shows what appears to be the same attackers running off with a camera bag and getting into a white sedan before driving off.

Both videos were posted by the Instagram account SFSTREETS415, which claims to be 'Asian hate crime reporters.'

San Francisco mayor London Breed, pictured during an interview in February 2022. She is the 45th mayor of the City and County of San Francisco

They reported that the victim, from Dallas, Texas, was an Asian man. He told ABC 7 he flew into the city for the day to take the couple's engagement photos after they received their wedding certificate.

'I was just freaked out,' he said, recounting how he 'tried to protect the client's memories' even as 'the bride was crying the whole time.'

The victim - who did not wish to be identified for safety reasons - also says he will never work at the Palace of Fine Arts again, and is encouraging couples to no longer hold photo shoots there. 

The Palace of Fine Arts, meanwhile, described the assault as 'a very scary situation.'

'Crime in and around tourist destinations has been on the rise; we see our fair amount of car smash and grabs,' managing director Jason Hoover told the San Francisco Standard.

'It is all our hope that the city begins to take a hard look at effective solutions to prevent this type of crime.

'It is damaging to our business, but more importantly sets a negative image and perception of SF.' 

A police department spokesman told the Standard: 'At this time, the investigation is analyzing evidence to positively identify the suspects.' 

It was just one of two assaults on wedding photographers at the picturesque Palace of Fine Arts last Wednesday 

In posting the video over the weekend, SFSTREETS415 called for action to hold the city's woke politicians accountable for a 6.2 percent rise in crime.

Per San Francisco Police Department statistics, larceny thefts are up 13.2 percent over last year, while robberies are up 5.4 percent and assaults are up 9.6 percent.

Rapes in the city are also up a whopping 9.3 percent over last year, with homicides up 2.1 percent over last year.

'San Francisco is a beautiful city, but a lawless city, and we need to take action because enough is enough,' SFSTREETS415 captioned their video. 'How many more Asians and innocent law abiding citizens have to be killed and hurt? 

'We at SFSTREETS415 need help to get the attention of the powers that be to make changes across the board,' they continued, suggesting they start with SFPD  Chief Bill Scott and Mayor London Breed.

'The San Francisco residents are sick and tired of the attacks and violence and terrorism on innocent people.'

Crime in the iconic city is now up 6.2 percent from last year, driven primarily by a 13.2 percent increase in the number of thefts

Some residents revealed last month that they are now arming themselves with baseball bats and stun guns after a new drug rehabilitation facility drew violent addicts to a previously peaceful neighborhood.

Residents of the SoMa neighborhood in northeast San Francisco have said that ever since the SoMa RISE drug sobering center opened in June, 'troublemakers' have plagued the neighborhood.

They told Fox News that rather than tempering drug usage, the center has done little more than draw heavy users to the neighborhood.

'They're letting their clients come out here and get high, go inside and get sober and then get high again,' Sackett told ABC7 of the facility that Mayor Breed' office originally categorized as a 'safe indoor space' for addicts to 'get off the streets.'

Officials are now said to be looking for other ways to deal with the growing drug problem plaguing San Francisco streets — without sending drug users to prison. 

San Franciscans in the SoMa neighborhood have taken to carrying around defensive weapons after a drug 'sobering' clinic moved into the neighborhood. Pictured: Homeless people are seen in San Francisco in July

The SoMa RISE clinic was opened in June, with San Francisco Mayor London Breed characterizing it as a place to let addicts get on their feet

A homeless drug addict injects fentanyl into his arm near City Hall in in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco

Meanwhile, a recent survey conducted by the San Francisco Chronicle found that two-thirds of San Francisco residents say their city is going downhill.

A third also said they plan to leave the city within three years. 

The survey of 1,653 adults found that 65 percent said the city was declining, while 37 percent said they would live elsewhere in three years. A staggering 84 percent of people aged 65 and over said they are planning to leave.

Respondents largely agreed on the city's top problems: Homelessness took first place, followed by public safety and housing costs. Nearly 70 percent said they doubted those problems would get better in the coming three years.

One respondent, Dae Echols, 53, told The Chronicle he was 'fed up with the city' and rising prices would likely force him to retire elsewhere. The average rent in San Francisco has risen to $3,750 per month.

'I just remember the hippie generation, and it was all about, take care of your friends, brotherly love. And that is totally gone,' said Echols.

Other residents hit out at Mayor London Breed, whose earlier popularity for steering the city through the pandemic appears to have waned amid widespread homelessness, property crime, the fentanyl epidemic and other woes.

Some 35 percent said Breed had done a poor or very poor job at making San Francisco a better place to live and work these past three years, while 42 percent said she'd done a fair job and 23 percent an excellent or good job. 

The survey was conducted after the recall election of progressive District Attorney Chesa Boudin, who was ousted in June amid frustration over public safety in the deeply Democratic city.