Social worker stabbed at S.F. General Hospital dies of injuries

"Tortolero Arriechi, 34, was known to hospital staff and a regular patient at Ward 86, the hospital's HIV clinic, where the stabbing took place, according to an eyewitness to the stabbing. He was allegedly a known and feared presence at the clinic. "This could have been avoided on so many fucking levels," the eyewitness told Mission Local. "We knew three weeks ago about this patient.""

"During an all-staff meeting for the Department of Public Health on Friday, San Francisco General Hospital CEO Susan Ehrlich called the incident "heartbreaking." People are angry, she said, everyone is affected, and staff "want to do everything we can so it doesn't happen again." A review of the incident was forthcoming, Erlich said at the meeting, and two of the hospital's buildings would be shut down to a single entrance starting this weekend. A security guard would use a metal wand on those coming in."

A social worker was stabbed repeatedly in the neck by a regular patient at San Francisco General Hospital and died 48 hours later. The alleged attacker, Wilfredo Tortolero Arriechi, 34, was arrested and booked on charges including murder, assault with a deadly weapon, use of a deadly weapon, and "mayhem," and is being held without bail. The attack occurred at Ward 86, the hospital's HIV clinic, where the patient was reportedly known and feared by staff. Hospital leadership called the incident heartbreaking, announced a review, and pledged security changes including consolidated entrances and metal-wand screening. A sheriff's deputy was present but reportedly not focused on the attacker.

Read at Mission Local