A woman was stabbed in the neck while she was working at a well-known Chinatown bakery, San Francisco police and witnesses said Monday.
Ding Lee, a Chinatown community leader, was at AA Bakery on Stockton Street at around 9:50 a.m. when the stabbing happened.
The suspect used a 5- to 6-inch knife and stabbed the worker in the neck, resulting in heavy bleeding, Lee said.
The victim then ran outside of the store and fell to the ground while the suspect, described as an Asian man wearing gray and white clothing, walked away casually according to Lee.
Henry Chen, owner of AA Bakery, confirmed the incident happened at his business but said he was not in the store at the time.
Police arrested Fook Poy Lai, 61, of San Francisco on suspicion of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, burglary, and a parole violation. He was booked into San Francisco County Jail.
The victim, who was transported to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital with life-threatening injuries, is in stable condition and will be transferred to a recovery bed, according to Supervisor Aaron Peskin’s office staff, who visited her in the hospital in the late afternoon.
Community groups will provide mental health support and counseling to the bakery staff, according to Peskin’s office.
AA Bakery closed after the incident but reopened for business Monday afternoon.