US: British tourist stabbed in the head by mugger, dies one month after brutal attack
A British tourist who was stabbed in the head by a robber in San Francisco has died, police in California have confirmed. Paul Tam was attacked on 18 February, as he walked down the street with his 23-year-old niece in the Japan town neighbourhood of the Californian city.
CCTV footage of the incident shows Tam fleeing from a hooded assailant into the middle of the road before he is chased around an oncoming car. He is then knocked to the ground by the offender who makes off on foot with his bag which contained his passport, money, mobile phone and bank cards,
He was left in a critical condition and on Thursday (24 March) the 44-year-old died of his injuries in a local hospital.
Police said they were releasing the video evidence that "captured the brutal murder" in a bid to trace the male offender and a female suspect following the robbery at 8.30pm in Post Street, between Franklin Street and Gough Street.
One of the robbers is described as a heavily built black male 5ft 10in, who was seen wearing a dark hoodie and blue jeans, while the other is a black woman , 5ft 4in, with long dreadlocks or braids in a ponytail.
Witnesses said there had been a scuffle between Mr Tam and one of the robbers as he struggled to hold on to a bag which contained his mobile, passport and cash.
Police have called for witnesses to the attack to come forward. "Please contact investigators if you were in the area near the time of the crime, observed any suspicious activity, or if you have any information regarding the identity of the suspects," a San Francisco police spokesman said.
Tam, a former web content and digital marketing manager at Manchester University had left for the US at Christmas time to work on a freelance basis. He had worked in the university's IT department for around 10 years according to Manchester News, . Tam had been staying in a hotel in San Francisco at the time of the attack.
According to Sky News a spokeswoman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: "We can confirm the death of a British national on March 24 in San Francisco and we are providing consular assistance to the family at this difficult time."
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