Was it an accident? Background information of 2 unprovoked attacks on elderly Chinese immigrant women in San Francisco Bayview neighborhood in 2023 & 2024

July 3, 2023

63-year-old Yan Fang Wu immigrated from China for about 10 years when she died in the pushing incident on July 3, 2023. 

Her husband Rongan Liang and Wu had just moved into an in-law apartment unit in Bayview as their temporary home for less than a month due to a fire which burnt their home in the Richmond District.

Wu worked at a Chinese restaurant in the Sunset District and Liang has retired. Because of the crime situation in Bayview, Liang would walk several blocks every evening to pick up Wu after work at a bus stop on 3rd Street close to Gilman Street.

Around 6:30pm on July 3, 2023 which was a Monday, Liang routinely walked to the 3rd Street bus stop to pick up his wife. But Wu already got off the bus at the time and walked north towards her husband face to face.

When Wu walked on the east side of 3rd Street to the mid block between Egbert and Fitzgerald Avenues, Liang was about half a block away from his wife. Liang witnessed an African American woman push Wu down from behind to the ground.

Liang rushed to assist his wife. The African American woman said something when Liang came closer to her, but he couldn't understand English. The African American woman ran away to the north and Liang was anxiously trying to comfort his wife.

A motorist who drove by the area saw Hopkins yelling at Wu and Liang and called 911 for them in his vehicle. The motorist witnessed Hopkins running away from the scene to the north.

Wu died in the hospital two days later on July 5, 2023. 43-year-old African American woman Thea Hopkins was detained by officers in the morning of July 6, 2023 in Bayview and brought to the Police Department for interview by Homicide Unit inspectors.

A prosecutor from the District Attorney’s Office was present when police investigators were in the process of interviewing Hopkins.

Hopkins told investigators that it was an accident when she ran to north trying to catch the T Third Street light rail train on 3rd Street and tripped on the sidewalk falling onto Wu.

In fact, the map shows that the T Third Street train station at Gilman/Paul Avenues was actually at the south side of Hopkins where she said she tripped falling onto Wu. Next train station to the north is at 3rd Street and Carroll Avenue which was two blocks away from her and Wu. It appears to contradict the suspect’s argument of running north to catch the train.

Both SFPD and the prosecutor concluded that the incident was accidental and released Hopkins immediately after the interview.

The accidental death conclusion also made Liang not eligible for any crime victim compensation. The Asian community had raised funds to cover the funeral expenses for Wu.

March 4，2024

Nine months later, in the morning at about 9:30 am on March 4, 2024, a 71-year-old monolingual Chinese immigrant woman was violently assaulted from behind in the neck, head and face and thrown to the ground by an African American woman until the victim lost consciousness on the ground. The suspect fled from the scene.

The victim woke up some time later and climbed up by herself walking into a nearby school seeking help. School employees offered assistance and called 911 for the victim. She remembered during the time she was repeatedly assaulted, the suspect yelled at her in English that she could not understand.

The suspect was identified as Thea Hopkins, same suspect pushing Wu to the ground in July 2023. Hopkins was arrested by police shortly after the March 2024 attack.

After the second attack on an elderly Chinese woman victim in March 2024, the Asian Justice Movement and other Asian organizations demanded SFPD to reopen the investigation and release videos related to the Wu case. Police Chief Bill Scott agreed to review the Wu case based on new evidence, but not to release the videos for public view in the process of conducting investigation.

Another nine months later, the San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced on December 11, 2024 that two criminal charges were filed, one count of assault and one count of battery without manslaughter or murder, against Hopkins who was allegedly seen pushing Wu to the ground and Wu died in the incident occurring on July 3, 2023 18 months ago.

There was no manslaughter or murder charges filed even in the alleged assault and battery acts which caused Wu to die. The Asian community has been outraged at the outcome of the second phase of the investigation in the Wu case and demands justice.