Afghan Interpreter Who Charged Cops With Knife Had Prior Criminal History

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - On November 19, police were called to the CW Hotel on the corner of 5th Avenue and Folsom Street, for reports that a man was running through the hotel threatening others with a knife.

Upon arrival, they encountered Ajmal Amani, 41, who was repeatedly shouting “Allahu Akbar,” and holding a butcher knife, according to a police report.

Amani charged two officers with the knife, and was shot by the police.

Hotel surveillance footage captured Amani rushing the officers with the knife.

He was soon pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Amani was an Afghan national who worked with the U.S. military as an interpreter, and came to this country in 2014 on a special visa.

In November 2019, he was arrested for stabbing a park ranger and charged with attempted murder, assault, purchasing a stolen vehicle, unlawful driving and carjacking.

The SF Gate reported:

According to police, shortly after 7 a.m., a park ranger driving a marked park district vehicle spotted a driver yelling at other motorists. As soon as the ranger followed the driver onto Interstate Highway 80, Amani allegedly crashed into the center median near the Seventh Street exit.

When the ranger stopped to help Amani, he apparently stabbed the ranger as the ranger got out of his vehicle.

However, Amani served no jail time, and instead, was ordered to undergo “mental health diversion” treatment and allowed to live on his own.

*As of early October 2021, the Biden administration had brought roughly 60,000 Afghan refugees here, according to the U.S. State Department.