A man was critically injured in an attack with a baseball bat near Lake Merced in San Francisco early Sunday morning, a police spokesman said Monday.

The assault was reported around 1:45 a.m. in the 200 block of Skyline Boulevard.

The victim, who is in his early 20s, was walking in the area when a group of six people approached from behind, police spokesman Sgt. Mike Andraychak said.

One of the suspects kicked the victim, then a second suspect hit him in the head with a wooden object that a witness described as a baseball bat, Andraychak said.

The victim was taken to a hospital with injuries that were considered life-threatening, but he was conscious and gave a statement to officers before being taken there, Andraychak said.

One of the suspects was described as a Hispanic man around 30 years old who was wearing a baggy shirt and black pants, but no arrests had been made in the case as of this afternoon, he said.

Anyone with information about the attack is encouraged to call the Police Department's anonymous tip line at (415) 575-4444 or send a tip by text message to TIP411.