A man was shot and injured in an attempted robbery in San Francisco's Mission District early Wednesday morning, police said.

The shooting was reported around 12:50 a.m. in the 2500 block of 17th Street, where the 23-year-old victim was approached by three male suspects, according to San Francisco police.

The suspects asked the man if he wanted to buy narcotics and when he refused, they demanded that he hand over his phone and money. When the victim tried to defend himself, one of the suspects pulled out a gun and shot him, police said.

The victim was taken to a hospital and is expected to survive, while the suspects fled and remain at large. Detailed descriptions of them were not immediately released. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Police Department's tip line at (415) 575-4444 or to send a tip by text message to TIP411 with SFPD at the start of the message.