Police arrest suspect in double stabbing of two Asian women

San Francisco police Wednesday released the name of the suspect who allegedly stabbed two Asian women Tuesday afternoon near the intersection of Market and Fourth streets.

Around 4:50 p.m., officers responded to the area on a report of a double stabbing and located the two victims, 63 and 85, suffering from multiple stab wounds. Officers provided aid to the victims and medics arrived at the scene.

The 63-year-old victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries while the 85-year-old victim was initially treated for critical injuries. The status of the older victim was later upgraded to non-life-threatening, police said.

Authorities said officers were able to obtain an image of the suspect and recognized the man from prior encounters, identifying him as 54-year-old Patrick Thompson of San Francisco.

Officers located Thompson on the 600 block of Eddy Street around 7:00 p.m. Tuesday and he was taken into custody without incident. Thompson was booked at San Francisco County Jail on two charges of attempted murder and elder abuse.

Police said investigators are working to determine if the incident was racially motivated.

In a tweet, Mayor London Breed thanked police for the suspect’s quick arrest, and she also thanked the Community Youth Center of San Francisco for reaching out to the victim’s family. Calling the attack “shameful,” Breed added:

“As someone who was raised by her grandmother, these attacks on seniors feel personal to me. No one should feel unsafe and afraid just trying to get home.”

A GoFundMe was set up by the older victim’s grandchildren to help pay for medical expenses. On the fundraising page, they wrote that their grandmother was at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital where “she had a successful surgery.”

Jerold Chinn

Jerold serves as a reporter and San Francisco Bureau Chief for SFBay covering transportation and occasionally City Hall and the Mayor's Office in San Francisco. His work on transportation has been recognized by the San Francisco Press Club. Born and raised in San Francisco, he graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in journalism. Jerold previously wrote for the San Francisco Public Press, a nonprofit, noncommercial news organization. When not reporting, you can find Jerold taking Muni to check out new places to eat in the city.