A grandfather of two was one of two nudists who tackled a deranged man who attacked tourists and shopkeepers with a blowtorch on a street in San Francisco.
Pete Sferra of San Jose was walking through the Castro neighborhood with his friend Lloyd Fishback, who lives in the city, when they noticed something was wrong.
The pair encountered a ‘crazy pirate’ with a blowtorch which he threatened to use as a weapon.
Store owner Chris Watts wrote on Facebook that the man “threatened my team with a blowtorch after we locked the doors.” It was a terrifying encounter.
A grandfather of two was one of two nudists who took down a crazed man who attacked tourists and shopkeepers on a San Francisco street with a blowtorch
Two nudists, Pete Sferra of San Jose, left, walked in the city’s Castro neighborhood with his friend Lloyd Fishback, right, who lives in the city
Video footage shows Fishback, the younger of the two nudists, grabbing the burner before the man begins beating the tourist without warning.
Fists are waved as both Fishback and the deranged man fall from the sidewalk into the street.
When the suspect seemed distracted for a moment, one of the shopkeepers managed to grab the burner and quickly ran away.
The fight between the two continued, after which Fishback punched the suspect in the face again.
“My buddy Lloyd is a calm, respectful guy, but he didn’t waste any time and hit the guy with a right hook,” Sferra told The San Francisco Standard.
Then the attacker finally got the message and walked away. In the meantime, the police were called.
According to Petros Fanourgiakis, who runs the nearby dessert shop Aegean Delights, the man had threatened to burn the tourist’s face with the blowtorch.
“He’s a known problem in the neighborhood. He’s erratic and violent,” said Terry Asten Bennett, president of the Castro Merchants Association.
“My buddy Lloyd is a quiet, respectful guy, but he didn’t waste any time and hit the guy with a right hook,” said Sferra, pictured with his two grandsons
Lloyd Fishback let his own righteousness fall by the wayside when he punched the attacker a few times
“It is completely unfair to a community if one person can hold it hostage,” Bennett said.
Even Castro Country Club had filed for a restraining order against Triball in 2021, but decided not to renew the ban because it was too expensive.
In that case, Triball had threatened to set fire to the building and kill the club’s director.
San Francisco police also appeared to be familiar with the suspect who was arrested and identified as 38-year-old Zero Tribal.
Triball is charged with assault with a deadly weapon and remains in jail.
“I believe he is someone who will continue to commit moderately violent crimes,” said San Francisco Board of Supervisors member Rafael Mandelman.
A nearby shopkeeper captured footage of the two nudists beating the man with a blowtorch
A store employee could be seen running away after grabbing the man’s burner
“I don’t think he should be allowed to live his own life. He should be under guardianship. Our system is crazy,” Mandelman added.
The person who was on vacation in the city and was attacked in the video has not been identified, but is believed to be a Brazilian man named Leo
“I hate seeing tourists go through something like this,” Sferra said.
The district is a vibrant neighborhood known for its openly gay culture.
Sferra indicated that he would like to normalize nudism.
‘Over the years we’ve tried to show the neighborhood that we’re just regular people, that we just have a relaxed idea of what we’re supposed to wear.
“We just want to be seen as good, contributing members of the community,” Sferra explains.