A social worker who was stabbed Dec. 4 at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center died two days later, according to the San Francisco Police Department.
Police said officers responded around 1:30 p.m. Dec. 4, when an adult male suspect allegedly stabbed the social worker multiple times. The suspect was being detained by the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department at the time.
The victim sustained life-threatening injuries and was taken to a local hospital, where he died Dec. 6.
The victim was described by the sheriff’s office as a 51-year-old UCSF social worker. Colleagues identified him as Alberto Rangel, a longtime social worker at Ward 86, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Authorities identified the suspect as Wilfredo Tortolero Arriechi, 34, of San Francisco. He was booked into San Francisco County Jail on Dec. 4 and charged with attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, mayhem and being armed during the commission of a felony.
According to sheriff’s office officials, the suspect — who was a patient — attacked Mr. Rangel after hospital staff requested additional security for a physician who had previously received threats from the suspect. Deputies recovered a kitchen knife believed to be the weapon used.
In response to the incident, the hospital and the San Francisco Department of Public Health said in a statement shared with Becker’s that they will implement security enhancements, including weapons-detection systems for campus buildings 80/90, restricting those buildings to a single secure entrance and exit with increased deputy presence, security wanding while detectors are installed, and updated protocols for patients flagged as high-risk threats.
Officials added they will conduct a thorough, systemwide review and root-cause analysis to identify vulnerabilities and strengthen staff safety across all DPH clinical settings.
At a vigil held Dec. 7, colleagues remembered Mr. Rangel as a devoted social worker and a committed member of the fight against HIV, according to the Chronicle.
