A San Francisco suspect accused of severely stabbing two Asian women at a bus stop earlier this week had forced his initial court appearance to be delayed.
Patrick Thompson, 53, refused to leave his cell on Friday with officials postponing his arraignment hearing to Monday.
Thompson suffers from mental troubles and had been enrolled in a mental health program and improving until the pandemic halted services.
“Sadly, many life-saving social services have not been available during the Covid crisis, and the lack of consistent care led to this situation, which is tragic for all involved,” public defender Eric Fleischaker said.
Authorities said that the Tuesday attack against the two older Asian women was not racially motivated given Thompson’s mental illness.
