2 Asian women knifed; suspect arrested

SAN FRANCISCO — Two Asian women were stabbed without warning as they waited for a bus in downtown San Francisco — the latest in a series of attacks against Asian Americans nationwide since the start of the pandemic last year.

Police said the 63- and 84-year-old women remained hospitalized Wednesday. The 84-year-old was initially treated for life-threatening injuries, but her medical status has been upgraded to non-life threatening, police said.

Patrick Thompson, 54, of San Francisco was arrested about two hours after the attack. Investigators were working to determine whether the incident was motivated by racial bias.

A woman working at a flower stall Tuesday afternoon told KGO-TV that she saw a man walking on Market Street shortly before the attack carrying “a pretty big knife” with knuckles on the handle.

“Her back was turned and all I see is feathers came out of her jacket. So I am very sure that she got sliced,” the witness said of one victim. “He walked away like nothing happened, like Sunday morning.”

The attack highlighted the dangerous climate Asian Americans have faced since the coronavirus entered the U.S. after surfacing in China.

In separate attacks in San Francisco in March, an 83-year-old Vietnamese man’s neck was broken when he was knocked down, and a 77-year-old woman was attacked. Police arrested a man on charges of assault and elder abuse in both cases. Another 83-year-old man was pushed down in February and his hip was broken. He spent weeks in a hospital and rehabilitation.