Cable car driver critically injured during stabbing

Cable car driver critically injured during stabbing

SAN FRANCISCO A cable car operator was stabbed in Chinatown Sunday afternoon in the latest in a string of violent incidents in areas popular with tourists.

The stabbing took place around 4:15 p.m. Officers responded to Mason and Jackson streets and followed a trail of blood to the suspect's home on Himmelman Place, where he was arrested, according to police.

"We do not know what started the incident," police spokesman Lt. Troy Dangerfield said.

The suspect was identified as George Huong, 32. Three of his family members, two women and a man, were arrested on charges of interfering with the investigation.

Police described the operator's injuries as life-threatening. San Francisco General Hospital officials did not return calls seeking information on the victim's condition.

The car itself was empty of customers, according to San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency spokeswoman Kristin Holland. At the time of the incident, a portion of the Powell Street line needed to be repaired.

Cable cars are one of the more popular tourist attractions, offering scenic rides on The City's hilly terrain. Visitors to San Francisco routinely wait in long lines to board the Powell-Mason line that runs from Union Square to Fisherman's Wharf.

Since June, at least five incidents in Union Square, Fisherman's Wharf and Coit Tower, among other locations have left visitors severely injured or dead.

One of the most publicized incidents involving a tourist was in August when a German woman was caught in the crossfire of a gun battle near her Union Square hotel.

Less than two weeks after Mechthild Schrer's death, a couple from the Peninsula on a date were attacked at Coit Tower. Both required treatment at a hospital.

Also, tourists were the target of car break-ins in Fisherman's Wharf in September. Luggage, electronics, passports and cash were taken from vehicles parked in lots.

Tourism is San Francisco's No. 1 industry, and many visitors were out wandering the streets Sunday, which was a sunny, unseasonably warm day.

In 2009, San Francisco collected $426 million in tax and fee revenue from tourism. Tourists spend an estimated $21 million daily in The City.

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