Thea Brenda Hopkins, out on bail and linked to violent attacks on two elderly Asian women, one fatal, is now under consideration for mental health diversion. The hearing is set for Monday, March 23, 2026, at 9 a.m. in Drug Diversion Court, Department 18 of San Francisco Superior Court.
Hopkins faces charges connected to two separate incidents in the Bayview: the July 2023 shoving that killed 63-year-old Yanfang Wu, and a March 2024 assault on a 71-year-old Chinese woman that involved grabbing her hair, punching her repeatedly, and throwing her to the ground. The 2023 fatal case was initially deemed an “accident” by then-Police Chief Bill Scott, and the surveillance video was never released to the public despite community demands and calls from city leaders.
The pattern ignited outrage in the Asian American community. After the first death, Hopkins allegedly committed another unprovoked attack on a vulnerable senior within a year. Critics argue that the early closure of the Wu case, combined with the absence of murder, manslaughter, or hate crime charges, reflects a broader pattern of leniency in cases involving Asian hate crimes, allowing repeat offenders to remain on the streets…