Photo by Carol M. Highsmith via Wikimedia Commons
Two Asian American women, one 65 years old and the other 85 years old, were stabbed in San Francisco while waiting for their bus, according to South China Morning Post.
The women were waiting for the bus around 5 p.m. Tuesday on Market Street when a man, who police say is 54-year-old Patrick Thompson, walked by them with a knife. The suspect allegedly stabbed the two women in broad daylight with a crowd of people watching.
One woman was stabbed in the arm and torso. The other woman was stabbed in the elbow.
Witnesses described the incident.
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“I’m kind of worried because my back was turned, it could have been me instead,” witness Patricia Lee told ABC 7. “I feel like we do need more officers patrolling.”
Lee added that the suspect calmly walked away from the incident. The victims were then taken to the hospital.
Afterward, witnesses gave photos of the suspect to the authorities, according to ABC 7. Two hours after the incident, officers arrested Thompson less than a mile away from where the stabbing occurred.
Police say they do not have enough evidence to suggest that the incident is a hate crime, ABC 7 reports. However, they will not rule out the possibility. While the charges are still pending, assault with a deadly weapon and elder abuse are possibilities.
San Francisco supervisor Matt Haney called the incident disgusting in an interview with ABC 7.
“It’s hard to imagine anything more disgusting and awful, these folks were waiting for the bus they were targeted… This is an environment, broad daylight, people are around, where you should be safe,” Haney said. “We have to hold people accountable who are committing crimes like this, we have to have police in areas where people need to be safe and have them more visible.”
Haney also took to Twitter to comment on this incident and give live updates of the victims.
A GoFundMe page for one of the victims is nearing its $50,000 goal. Both women, who were treated at San Francisco General Hospital, have made it out of surgery. They are recovering in the ICU.
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