Man accused of stabbing SF Chinatown bakery worker also stabbed bakery owner’s father 7 years ago
The man who was recently arrested for stabbing an employee working at a popular bakery in San Francisco’s Chinatown is reportedly the same man who stabbed the bakery owner’s father in 2016.
Fook Poy Lai, 61, allegedly stabbed a female employee in the neck at AA Bakery & Cafe in the 1000 block of Stockton Street shortly before 10 a.m. on Monday.
The employee, who was working her third day on the job, was rushed to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital with life-threatening injuries. According to officials, the victim survived and is currently in recovery.
Lai was charged with numerous felonies, including attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, battery causing serious bodily injury, false imprisonment and second-degree burglary.
According to the office of District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, Lai was recently released from custody and on parole for a 2018 attempted murder conviction when the stabbing occurred.
The 61-year-old previously stabbed an elderly man at Portsmouth Square in San Francisco in 2016. He pled guilty to attempted murder and was sentenced to nine years in state prison.
In an interview with ABC7 News, Henry Chan, the owner of AA Bakery & Cafe, said that the man Lai stabbed at Portsmouth Square was his father.
According to Chan, his father was playing poker in the park on the day of the incident. He recalled his father’s injuries were “very bad,” noting that he had to spend 12 days in the hospital.
Chan claimed that his family does not personally know Lai, who attacked the bakery employee just 10 days after he was released from jail.
“I don’t know why the city put him out 10 days ago,” Chan told ABC7 News.
According to Jenkins, prosecutors have filed a motion for Lai to be held without bail due to the public safety risk he poses.
“The alleged attack in Chinatown left a woman seriously injured and a neighborhood shocked,” Jenkins said in a press release. “I offer my unwavering commitment to pursuing justice and ensuring that the suspect is held accountable for this senseless crime.”
Lai is scheduled to appear in court for his arraignment on Thursday morning. He faces life in prison if he is convicted on all charges.
The incident remains an active investigation. Anyone with information is urged to contact the San Francisco Police Department’s tip line at 415-575-4444 or text TIP411.
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