A suspect accused of brutally stabbing two Asian American women behind while sitting at a bus stop in Downtown San Francisco is scheduled to appear in court today.
The District Attorney’s office announced Thursday it had charged Patrick Thompson, 54, with two counts of premeditated attempted murder, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and two counts of elder abuse.
It is still determining whether hate crime charges will be added.
“The strength and courage of these women is inspiring,” said District Attorney Boudin. “Their pain was tangible and will serve as a constant reminder of the importance of our work to make San Francisco safer for all. I am grateful to the medical team at San Francisco General Hospital, who helped to make sure the victims are still with us today.”
Boudin said he will personally prosecute this case.
KPIX5 reports Thompson has a long criminal history with some two dozen arrests over 20 years. In 2017 police arrested him for stabbing a person at a homeless shelter with a pair of scissors in what authorities described as an unprovoked attack.
Last year, a judge granted him permission to be released from a mental health diversion program. Since then, he had one arrest for possession of a drug pipe.
Exclusive video obtained by ABC7 News shows two women sitting at a bus stop on Market Street. A man comes from behind and stabs the two women in the back. One bystander comes to the aid of one of the victims as she falls to the ground. Another bystander takes a step back and away from the suspect.
WARNING: The video is both graphic, disturbing and difficult to watch.
Reporter Dion Lim who Gold House recently named one of the 100 most influential Asian Americans described the long and difficult discussions she had with the editorial team about airing the video.
“In journalism, there should be a purpose to what is shown. It is not to provide shock value, clicks or “likes” on social media. One needs to ask “what is the context behind this video?” Without context, it has no purpose.
“In this case, my team and I felt like it was important to visualize what happened so the audience understands the severity of the crime.”
The blade that penetrated the victims was described as longer than one of the victim’s arms.
The blade broke and remained in Chiu Fong’s body.
A Go Fund Me page set up by the family has so far raised more than $100,000 for medical expenses.
The name of the other victim has not been released.
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