California nudists rescue tourist from blowtorch-wielding ‘pirate guy’ in caught-on-camera showdown
Not all super heroes wear capes.
A pair of California nudists took the law into their bare hands as they rescued a tourist from a blowtorch-wielding madman in a full frontal fight caught on camera in San Francisco’s tough Castro district.
Pete Sferra and Lloyd Fishback were enjoying a totally naked walk through the famously gay-friendly neighborhood on July 2 when they encountered a “crazy kind of pirate guy” menacing a Brazilian tourist with a blowtorch.
“My buddy Lloyd is a quiet, respectful guy,” Sfarra told the San Francisco Standard, “But he didn’t waste any time and nailed the guy with a right hook.”
Footage from the encounter showed Sferra and Fishback trying to talk down the attacker squaring off with the tourist, when the owner of a nearby coffee shop sprang forward and snatched away the blowtorch.
The disarmed attacker then jumped on the tourist and started raining punches down on his head, when Fishback sprang into action and took him to the ground with a au-natural knock across the noggin.
Police soon arrived and detained the attacker, who was identified as 38-year-old Zero Triball — a reputed menace who has harassed the neighborhood for years.
“He’s a known problem in the neighborhood,” president of the Castro Merchants Association Terry Asten Bennett told the Standard. “He’s violent and erratic.”
Triball — who Bennet said has a history of trashing stores and threatening arson — is behind bars under suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, but some fear he’ll just be sprung free to continue terrorizing the neighborhood.
“Our system is crazy,” San Francisco Supervisor Rafael Mandelman said, explaining he’s previously asked a judge to hold Triball after other incidents.
“In my view, he’s a guy who’ll continue committing medium violent crimes,” said Mandelman, who helps oversee Castro. “I don’t think he should be left to manage his own life. He should be in a conservatorship.”
Sferra hopes his and Fishback’s naked display of justice will help normalize the culture of nudity in the neighborhood.
“Over the years we’ve been doing this, we’ve tried to show the neighborhood that we’re regular people—we just have a relaxed idea of what we’re supposed to wear,” he told the Standard.
“We just want to be seen as good contributing members of the community.”
