A grandfather of two children was among two nudists who tracked down a crazed man they saw attacking tourists and shopkeepers with a blowtorch on the streets of San Francisco.
Pete Sferra of San Jose was walking in the Castro neighborhood with his friend Lloyd Fishback, who lives in the city, when they noticed something was wrong.
The couple encountered a “crazy pirate guy” with a welding torch that he wanted 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,” which was a frightening encounter.
A grandfather of two was among two nudists who tracked down a crazed man who was attacking tourists and shopkeepers with a blowtorch on the streets of San Francisco
Two nudists, Pete Sferra from San Jose (left), was walking in the Castro district with his friend Lloyd Fishback (right), who lives in the city
Petros Fanourgiakis, who runs the nearby dessert shop Aegean Delights, said the man threatened to burn the tourist’s face.
A video from the scene shows Fishback, the younger of the two nudists, reaching for the welding torch before the man begins to beat the tourist.
Both Fishback and the man rush out into the street, while one of the shop owners manages to snatch the blowtorch.
Fishback didn’t stop there and gave him another underhand punch in the face.
“My buddy Lloyd is a quiet, respectful guy, but he wasted no time and caught the guy with a right hook,” Sferra told the San Francisco Standard.
At that moment, the attacker got the message and walked away. In the meantime, the police were called.
“He’s a known problem in the neighborhood. He’s unpredictable and violent,” said Terry Asten Bennett, president of the Castro Merchants Association.
“My buddy Lloyd is a quiet, respectful guy, but he wasted no time and caught the guy with a right hook,” said Sferra, pictured with his two grandchildren
Lloyd Fishback ensured justice by hitting the attacker several times
“It’s completely unfair to a community when a single person can hold it hostage,” Bennett said.
Even the Castro Country Club had obtained a temporary restraining order against Triball in 2021, but decided not to renew the injunction because it was too expensive.
In this case, Triball had threatened to burn down the building and kill the club’s manager.
San Francisco police also appeared to know the arrested suspect, identified as 38-year-old Zero Triball.
Triball is suspected of assault with a deadly weapon and remains in the county jail.
“In my view, he is a guy who will continue to commit moderately violent crimes,” said Rafael Mandelman, a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
A nearby shop owner filmed the two nudists beating the man with a blowtorch
A store employee could be seen running away after snatching the blowtorch from the man
“I don’t think he should be allowed to make his own decisions about his life. He should be under guardianship. Our system is crazy.”
The person who was vacationing in the city and is seen being attacked in the video has not been identified, but is believed to be a Brazilian named Leo
“I hate it when tourists experience something like this,” said Sferra.
The district is a lively area known for its openly gay culture.
Sferra explained his interest in nudism by saying that he wants to normalize the practice.
“Over the years we’ve been doing this, we’ve tried to show the neighborhood that we’re normal people – we just have a relaxed idea of what to wear.”
“We just want to be seen as members of the community who are making a good contribution,” Sferra explained.
