Suspect Who Stabbed Elderly Asian Women in SF Could Face Life Sentence

Carl Samson
·3 min read

The man arrested for stabbing two elderly Asian women in San Francisco earlier this week is now facing multiple charges that carry a life sentence.

The charges against Patrick Thompson, 54, were announced as surveillance video of the attack was published by ABC7 News anchor Dion Lim on Thursday.




What happened: Thompson is accused of stabbing two Asian women, ages 65 and 85, at a bus stop in the area of 4th and Stockton Streets just before 5 p.m. on Tuesday.

  • In the video, the suspect is seen approaching the victims at the stop with other bystanders and stabbing them from behind.

  • Thompson allegedly attacked the unidentified 65-year-old woman first, slashing her back and elbow, before he turned to 85-year-old Chui Fong Eng and stabbed her arm and chest.

  • "This was not a stabbing involving a pocket knife. It was a serrated blade larger than Mrs. Fong's arm," wrote Lim, who decided to release the video after careful deliberation.

  • Lim said she and her team believe it was important to visualize the incident so that the audience can see the severity of the crime. "It is not to provide shock value, clicks or 'likes' on social media," she added.


The charges: Authorities announced on Thursday that Thompson was charged with "two counts of premeditated attempted murder, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and two counts of elder abuse with enhancements for great bodily injury, great bodily injury on elders and personal use of a deadly weapon," according to KPIX 5.

  • These charges carry a potential life sentence, according to San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin. The DA's office is still working with law enforcement to find evidence for any additional charges, including a hate crime.

  • Thompson was arrested more than two dozen times in the last 20 years, a police source told KPIX 5. In 2017, he was captured for stabbing someone at a homeless shelter on 5th and Bryant Streets with a pair of scissors, in what police say was an unprovoked attack.

  • In the same year, Thompson was found incompetent to stand trial in court proceedings for several cases, according to the DA's office. He began the state's Mental Health Diversion program in October 2018 and was allowed to leave after nearly two years, ABC News reported.





A GoFundMe page for Eng — who remains at the hospital, recovering from surgery — has raised more than $116,000 as of this writing. In the latest update, the Eng family offered a portion of the funds to the unnamed victim’s family, however, they "politely declined." The Eng family will donate the "extra money" to organizations that support the AAPI community instead.

Anyone with information is urged to call (415) 575-4444 or text TIP411 with the message “SFPD.”

Featured Images via Will Tran / KRON4 (left) and Dion Lim / ABC7 (right)

Enjoy this content? Read more from NextShark!

Nepalese Family Finds Their Car TORCHED in Alleged 'Hate Crime Against Asians' in the UK

Andrew Yang’s Nonprofit Will Give Over $1 Million to Help Americans Fight COVID-19

Man Who Shoved Elderly Asian Woman RELEASED By Police Without Bail, 'Under Supervision'

Suspect Charged, Two GoFundMe Campaigns Created For Man Fatally Stabbed in Washington