Social worker dies after stabbing at San Francisco General Hospital
By Carlos E. Castañeda, Brandon Downs
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SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) — A social worker who was stabbed Thursday inside Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital has died, officials said.
The San Francisco Sheriff’s Office said at about 1:30 p.m., hospital workers requested additional security for a doctor who had received threats from a patient. While providing security for the doctor, a deputy heard a disturbance in a hospital hallway involving a suspect and the social worker from the University of California, San Francisco, the Sheriff’s Office said.
The deputy immediately intervened and restrained the suspect, while medical staff on site tended to the 31-year-old social worker, who was stabbed in the neck and shoulder, the office said.
The unidentified social worker was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. In an update Saturday, the San Francisco Department of Public Health said the staff member died from their injuries.
“Keeping our staff, patients, and community safe is our highest priority,” SFDPH said in a statement. “DPH and the hospital have already taken steps like adding more security, limiting access points, and speeding up the installation of weapons detection systems.”
Deputies recovered a five-inch kitchen knife believed to have been used in the attack. The 35-year-old male suspect was at the hospital for a scheduled appointment and had reportedly made previous threats to the doctor, the Sheriff’s Office said.
There was no ongoing threat to the public, the office said.
On Friday, San Francisco police identified the suspect as 34-year-old Wilfredo Tortolero Arriechi of San Francisco. He was booked on charges of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, mayhem, and being armed during the commission of a felony.
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