San Francisco social worker dies after being stabbed by patient in hospital

Alberto Rangel, a social worker at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, died after being stabbed by a patient during a violent incident

A longtime social worker at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital died over the weekend after being stabbed multiple times by a patient during a Thursday afternoon attack inside the facility’s HIV/AIDS clinic, authorities and colleagues said.

Police said the suspect, 34-year-old Wilfredo Tortolero Arriechi, allegedly used a five-inch kitchen knife to stab. (Getty Images)

The victim, identified by colleagues and community members as 51-year-old Alberto Rangel, a UCSF (University of California, San Francisco) social worker, succumbed to his injuries on Saturday, according to the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office. ABC News reported that he had been described by coworkers as “remarkable", “compassionate", and deeply devoted to patients.

Police said the suspect, 34-year-old Wilfredo Tortolero Arriechi, allegedly used a five-inch kitchen knife to stab Rangel in the neck and shoulder inside Ward 86, the hospital’s long-running HIV clinic.

According to statements provided to ABC News, a sheriff’s deputy had been called to the hospital earlier after Arriechi allegedly threatened a doctor during a scheduled appointment. While providing security for the physician, the deputy heard a disturbance and found the suspect attacking the social worker. He intervened immediately and restrained the man.

Medical staff performed CPR and rushed Rangel into surgery, ABC7 San Francisco reported, but he died two days later.

Colleagues: “This should never have happened”

Outside the hospital on Sunday, coworkers and community members gathered for a candlelight vigil. Social workers, nurses, and medical students described Rangel as a gifted clinician and a warm presence in one of the hospital’s most vulnerable wards.

“He was one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever met,” social worker Julette Suarez told ABC7.

“For him to lose his life at work… it’s a betrayal,” said Maddy Auble, who worked alongside Rangel in the HIV clinic and witnessed the aftermath of the attack.

Several staff members said concerns about security in the unit had been raised repeatedly. The clinic does not have a metal detector and, according to union representatives, workers had specifically requested protection after threats were made against a doctor in the same ward.

The San Francisco Department of Public Health, which oversees the hospital, said in a statement to ABC News that safety remains its “highest priority” and that additional security measures are already underway. The agency said it is adding more security officers, restricting access points, and accelerating installation of weapons-screening systems.