The social worker who was stabbed by a patient several times in the neck and shoulder at Zuckerberg SF General Hospital Thursday has died from his injuries. The suspect, who reportedly has a history of violent behavior, has since been arrested.

Update: Per Mission Local, the victim has been identified as 51-year-old Alberto Rangel, a social worker with UCSF. The outlet reports that Rangel reported concerns about the suspect three weeks before the attack.

Loved ones of Rangel's are raising funds to be donated to a nonprofit in his honor.

As the Chronicle reports, the San Francisco Department of Public Health announced Saturday that the 31 51-year-old social worker who was brutally attacked by a patient at SF General Hospital died from his injuries. Per Mission Local, the suspect, Wilfredo Tortolero Arriechi, 35, was arrested and booked Thursday on charges of “assault with a deadly weapon, mayhem, and being armed during the commission of a felony,” according to a statement by the San Francisco Police Department.

Per Mission Local, a sheriff’s deputy, who intervened and restrained the suspect, was nearby but not in the immediate vicinity prior to the stabbing. The sheriff’s department said in a statement that the deputy was assigned to shadow a doctor who had been targeted by the suspect earlier in the day. Per the SFPD, the police department has taken over the case from the sheriff’s department.

“He was onsite to ensure the doctor’s safety, remained on the Ward after an initial search for the subject, and when he heard a commotion in the hallway, immediately responded,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement. “Upon witnessing the assault in progress, he intervened without hesitation, detained the subject, and secured the scene. His quick actions allowed medical staff to begin life-saving measures for the victim without delay.”

“This tragic event underscores the urgency of our ongoing efforts to strengthen protections for every member of our workforce,” health department officials said in a statement, per the Chronicle. “We are committed to doing everything necessary to ensure that no one fears for their safety while providing care to the people of San Francisco.”

“He’s one of the kindest, most compassionate people, a luminous man,” a colleague of the victim told the Chronicle. “He loved everyone, it would of course be he who immediately stepped up to try to help the patient” prior to the attack.

Per the Chronicle, multiple employees reported receiving threats by the suspect in the weeks prior to the incident. Additionally, the Chronicle notes that the number of sheriff’s deputies assigned to the hospital have been reduced to 28 from 45 in recent years, resulting in repeated safety concerns.

“We demand that city, county, hospital, and UC leadership finally address the rampant understaffing and unjust hiring practices that put workers in danger and hinder both the city and workers’ efforts to address the mental health crisis on our streets,” said UPTE President Dan Russell, per the Chronicle. “We owe our colleague and friend more than grief. We owe them change.”

Per the Chronicle, the hospital and health department have implemented additional safety measures since the stabbing, including added security, reduced access points, and the expedited installation of weapons detection systems.

The investigation is ongoing.

Image: 9yz/Wikimedia

Previously: Social Worker In Critical Condition After Being Stabbed at SF General Hospital