Update: Defendant in Chinatown bakery stabbing appears in court
SAN FRANCISCO — A man accused of stabbing a woman in San Francisco's Chinatown on Monday was arraigned Thursday morning on multiple felony charges, according to the District Attorney's Office.
Fook Poy Lai, 61, allegedly stabbed a 58-year-old woman in front of a bakery in Chinatown, leaving her "seriously injured," prosecutors said.
Lai was scheduled for arraignment Wednesday, but the court was unable to find a Cantonese interpreter for the defendant.
Lai is charged with attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, battery causing serious bodily injury, false imprisonment and second-degree burglary, the District Attorney's Office said.
At about 9:50 a.m. Monday, police responded to a business in the 1000 block of Stockton Street on a report of a stabbing. The victim, a female employee at the bakery who is in her 50s, was found suffering from an apparent stab wound.
Longtime customer Ding Lee's voice filled with emotion as he described the horrific scene.
"The lady screaming behind the counter and then I snapped my head to go look at - 'Wow, the guy just stab, stab the lady just like pumping something on her shoulder... or back,'" he said.
The owner, who was upstairs at the time, told KPIX the woman had just started the job a few days ago.
"I warn my friend 'Hey get out here, that guy try to kill somebody,'" Lee said. "And then immediately that lady ran through in front of me. I had to step back and she just laid down in front of me and facing to the ceiling."
Lee called 911. He said the suspect was in no rush to flee the scene.
"The guy looked crazy, kind of mental problem," Lee said. "From very beginning until the end, until he dropped the knife, and then the police officer caught him, he never say a word, never."
Lee and the owner kept their eye on the suspect as he made his way outside until police arrived. He said the suspect held onto the weapon.
A knife could later be seen on the sidewalk near the bakery.
"He just so quiet and just stay there, the actions so - you know - you immediately feel he's not a normal person," Lee said.
Lai was taken into custody by police Monday. Prosecutors said Lai was on parole for an attempted murder conviction in 2016 for stabbing an elderly man in Portsmouth Square in San Francisco. He was given nine years in prison.
Prosecutors have asked to have Lai held with no bail and to have his probation revoked, the District Attorney's Office said. He was set to return to court next on Thursday morning. If convicted, he is facing a life sentence.
