In wake of violent stabbing at AA Bakery, Haney introduces legislation to stop hospitals releasing patients with violent crime conviction and mental illness

（San Francisco) State Assemblymember Matt Haney (D-San Francisco) announced his latest legislation, AB 2475, that would stop hospitals releasing people who have committed violent crimes and have been diagnosed with severe mental disorder to the community without proper supervision and treatment.

The bill was in response to a violent stabbing that occurred on May 29, 2023 at AA Bakery & Cafe in San Francisco's Chinatown.

AB 2475 allows state hospitals to hold patients for up to 30 additional days before they are released, to allow law enforcement and public health officials to work together to find housing, medication access, and mental health treatment.

The AA Bakery violent stabbing incident occurred at 9:50 am on May 29, 2023. A 58-year-old female employee was stabbed at least seven times in the head, neck and back by a male suspect who walked into the Bakery on Stockton Street without saying a word, chased her behind the counter, and stabbed her multiple times.

61-year-old Fook Poy Lai, who was identified as the suspect in the stabbing, was arrested at the bakery. The critically injured victim was able to survive due to the heroism of Robert Chiang, a Chinatown leader and eyewitness in the incident, to save the life of the victim inside AA Bakery by using paper napkins to put pressure on the stab wounds in the neck to prevent massive bleeding.

Records indicated that Lai was just released in May 2023 after serving seven years in jail for stabbing another employee in 2016 at the same bakery, AA Bakery & Cafe, in Chinatown. Lai has been suffering from mental health disorder and was released from a state hospital without an adequate mental health and community safety plan. Lai was placed in a single-room occupancy hotel after the release without supervision.

According to Haney, current California law allows inmates to be paroled to state hospitals if their mental health disorder continues to pose a serious threat to the safety of themselves or others. If a judge determines that the person no longer meets this criteria, the Department of State Hospitals, State Parole, and local agencies have only five planning days before being required to release the person back into the community.

The data from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation revealed that 1,656 people were released from a state hospital in six years between 2018 and 2023. In all of those cases, the Department of State Hospitals, State Parole, and local agencies were only given five days before the release of the individual to coordinate the appropriate housing, supervision, medication, and mental health services, prior to a parolee being released and placed back in the community.

AB 2475 allows all parties involved to request an extension from the court to safely plan their release, up to 30 additional days.

“If a person is being held in custody because their mental illness led them to commit a violent crime, the state has an absolute obligation and responsibility to make sure that they aren't released without ensuring adequate support, planning and treatment,” said Haney. “Five days to plan for someone's release is dangerously short, it sets them up to fail and puts everyone at risk.”

“The state’s current laws are setting people up for failure,” said Haney. “Without the proper care, treatment and supervision, there is a significant risk that these offenders spiral into old patterns of violence and become a serious threat to themselves or others. This bill will help to protect public safety and better ensure that people get essential ongoing treatment when released.”