SAN FRANCISCO – The San Francisco district attorney on Monday filed murder charges against a man accused of fatally stabbing a hospital social worker.
Suspect charged in Dec. 4 attack
What we know:
Wilfredo Tortolero Arriechi, 36, was charged with murder with an allegation of using a knife during the crime, which occurred Dec. 4 at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital.
He is expected to make his first court appearance Tuesday.
“We have to make sure, as law enforcement, that we do the utmost to protect everybody who works in health care and those who are trying to serve the people who need the most help in our city each and every day,” District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said during a news conference on Monday. “They come to work to take care of others. And it’s our obligation to take care of them.”
Victim identified
The victim was identified by coworkers as 51-year-old Alberto Rangel, a social worker at UCSF.
Rangel died Saturday, two days after the attack. Jenkins said he was stabbed multiple times in the neck.
Colleagues remember Rangel as a dedicated advocate who went above and beyond for patients.
“He changed people’s lives. There are people alive today because of him,” said Maddy Auble, a colleague and mentee of Rangel’s. “For him to lose his life at work, when he was there to provide services to patients, is not right.”
Suspect allegedly threatened doctor before attack
Dig deeper:
Jenkins said Arriechi had gone to the hospital’s Ward 86 HIV care clinic wanting to speak with a doctor. At some point, he spoke with Rangel, appearing “calm and engaged,” and was then advised to leave.
“Allegedly he and the victim walked to the elevator together when he suddenly grabbed the victim from behind and stabbed him numerous times,” Jenkins said in a press release.
The San Francisco Sheriff’s Office said that less than 10 minutes before the stabbing, a sheriff’s deputy had been called to the clinic because Arriechi had allegedly threatened a doctor.
Arriechi was arrested shortly after the stabbing attack.
Auble said Rangel had previously warned her about the suspect.
“He murdered my co-worker in front of all of us,” said Auble. “He just stood there and looked at everything he had done.”
“We knew that he was aggressive,” she added.
Auble said Rangel treated his patients with love and care.
She said he offered free therapy sessions, ran support groups in English and Spanish, and was known outside of work as an artist, athlete, and someone with a sharp sense of humor — and sharp fashion sense.
“You would never think Prada and a social worker would be two things that go together,” said Auble. “But he was just such a unique character.”
Chey Dean, a UCSF staff research associate and union representative, said the tragedy underscores long-standing concerns.
“Social workers have been raising the alarm about safety for years, to be met with radio silence,” Dean said.
Hospital to review security measures
What’s next:
In a statement Sunday, the San Francisco Department of Public Health said it will conduct a “top-to-bottom investigation” into possible security vulnerabilities.
The department said it will increase sheriff’s deputies and security staff in the building where the attack happened, expedite installation of metal detectors, and implement metal-detection wanding in the interim.
The Source: Information for this story comes from the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, along with previous reporting.