Four men were shot dead in a car in a trendy neighborhood in San Francisco, California late on Friday evening, local media reported.

Gunfire erupted at about 10pm local time in the Hayes Valley neighborhood, said the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper, citing police. It said no arrests had been made so far.

"We've got four victims in a car here," the newspaper quoted a police officer at the scene as saying over police radio. "We've got multiple gunshot wounds here," another said.

Residents reported hearing more than a dozen gunshots.

Police alerted the California Highway Patrol of a vehicle possibly connected to the killings that could be headed toward Highway 101, the newspaper said.

The once-seedy Hayes Valley neighborhood, bordered by the Van Ness performing-arts district, has improved much over the years and now is home to boutiques, art galleries, and posh eateries, the newspaper said.-Reuters