Police continue to search for three male suspects involved in the stabbing of two gay men in the Castro in June after releasing a 17-year-old San Francisco teenager arrested last week in connection to the case.

Police apprehended the youth Monday, July 23 on two counts of attempted homicide relating to the June 12 attack that left one victim in an induced coma for four weeks. Due to the suspect's age, police did not release his name but did describe him as a Caucasian male.

"It is believed that this individual is involved in a string of robberies," Sergeant Steve Mannina told the Bay Area Reporter , who could not say if the other incidents happened in the Castro or other parts of the city.

But the district attorney's office decided not to press charges against the young man because of insufficient evidence. District attorney spokeswoman Bilen Mesfin wrote in an e-mail this week that prosecutors are asking anyone who can identify the assailants to come forward and contact the police.

"There is no doubt that innocent people were hurt and we would like nothing more than to hold those responsible accountable. We are hopeful that additional evidence is forthcoming," wrote Mesfin.

According to one of the victims, Rico Mendez, 52, an art director at the San Francisco Chronicle, both he and his friend, Will Hulse, have had trouble positively identifying their assailants during several lineups. During a lineup at Juvenile Hall on July 24 he said, "I kind of identified one person, Will couldn't identify anybody."

On the night of the attack, Mendez and Hulse had run into each other in front of the Men's Room on 18th Street after the bar had closed. The friends decided to walk home together and opted to use 19th Street, heading toward Castro Street. Around 2:43 a.m., a dark colored sedan with its headlights off slowly approached them from behind.

According to the police report, the two-door coupe stopped and three men, described as Hispanic males between the age of 20 and 30 years old, exited the vehicle. One of the suspects, who was carrying a large, dark handled knife, asked the men for a cigarette.

As Hulse retrieved a cigarette from his pack, he said the suspect grabbed his jacket and pulled it down over his arms. Thinking he was being robbed, Hulse said he began jumping up and down and was able to slip out of his coat.

The suspect then turned on Mendez, who was stabbed once inside his upper right arm, on the left side of his hip, and the left side of his back.

"I was on my back on the sidewalk defending myself," recalled Mendez. "The guy was on top of me. I told him to take my money but he didn't say anything. The other two guys just watched."

The assailant eventually left Mendez alone and all three suspects fled in the car. Mendez said he was able to walk back down to 18th Street where he saw a police officer in front of Nizario's Pizza. Hulse had also run toward 18th Street before realizing he had been stabbed. He recalled dropping to the sidewalk and crawling toward the 7-Eleven Store, pleading for help.

Both men were taken to San Francisco General Hospital. Mendez, who suffered less severe injuries, was able to return to work three weeks after the incident.

Hulse, 35, who is Vietnamese American, left the hospital on July 16. Doctors had kept him in an induced coma for nearly a month as he recovered from his injuries. He had been stabbed in his kidney and had a renal artery hemorrhage.

His chest is covered by bandages, which he said will remain on for three months. He also had to have a drain protruding from his abdomen to drain excess fluids for several weeks.

A San Francisco resident on and off for 20 years, Hulse said he had never before been attacked or spent time in a hospital.

"I've never broken a bone," said Hulse during an interview last month at the Metro. "Everybody says they are amazed I am still alive, considering."

Visibly upset recalling the attack, he said it was "hard to be in the Castro."

"I don't understand the senselessness of it all," said Hulse. "I am just trying to keep it together."

Mendez, who has lived in San Francisco since 1974, also said he believes his assailants were targeting the gay neighborhood but also that they are members of a gang.

Because neither of the victims could recall their attacker using anti-gay language, Mendez said he has been told it is unlikely hate crimes charges will be filed if the suspects are arrested.

Mannina would not say if police had determined if the suspects are indeed members of a gang.

Anyone with information regarding the case can call the SFPD's general work detail at (415) 553-1141.