A 31-year-old social worker was stabbed repeatedly in the neck and shoulder by a patient at San Francisco General Hospital today, according to the sheriff’s department.
A 35-year-old man who was at the hospital for a scheduled appointment was arrested for the stabbing. He is believed to have used a five-inch kitchen knife.
The victim is in critical condition, according to a statement from the sheriff’s department.
Just before the stabbing, the suspect was allegedly threatening a doctor at the hospital’s ward 86 on the sixth floor, and a sheriff deputy had been called around 1:30 p.m. to provide security. Soon after, the suspect began attacking the social worker.
Sources said that UCSF workers at the site were warned to stay away from Building 80-90, the Family Health Center, where the incident occurred. Video taken by users on Citizen showed a man being taken out of the building on a stretcher surrounded by medical staff, wearing a breathing mask and with fluids being administered.
Tara Moriarty, the spokesperson for the sheriff’s department, confirmed that the sheriff and the mayor arrived at the hospital to address press that gathered there.
The stabbing occurred less than two hours after another stabbing, where a person in custody at the county jail was stabbed in the stomach a fellow incarcerated person. Officials learned of that prior stabbing as they were holding a press conference for the new police chief, Derrick Lew.
This is a developing story and will be updated.