A man with a sword, dressed as a pirate, slashed another man on the hand with that sword Friday night outside the Church of 8 Wheels roller disco in the Fillmore.
The SFPD alert about the sword-wielding suspect caused a stir on social media Friday and Saturday, and the Chronicle reports that the incident happened after a verbal altercation between the suspect, who was wearing a Make America Great Again hat, and the victim outside the roller rink at 9:50 p.m. Friday.
SFPD spokesperson Officer Robert Rueca says that, according to witnesses at the scene, the victim attempted to grab the suspect's hat off his head, which led to the attack.
Witness on the scene Scott Sweeney, 24, says he saw the suspect approach with the MAGA hat and a sword tucked into the back of his jacket, and he says he heard the suspect yelling homophobic slurs at the victim. Says Sweeney, "In my mind I didn’t think it was a real sword until we came out later and police were on the scene and there was blood and the hat on ground."
Police are still seeking the suspect who fled the scene. Anyone with information about the attack is encouraged to call 415-575-4444.
Even though the victim's wound was superficial, roller rink impresario David Miles a.k.a. Sk8father, tells NBC Bay Area, "He was just bleeding like a horse." Miles says that the victim chased the suspect down the block after the attack. Miles also described the suspect as being dressed like a pirate and standing outside the rollerskating event harassing patrons. No further description of the suspect has been given.
[Update: According to Hoodline, the victim's wounds were not superficial, and he remains in critical condition.]
Miles tells the Chronicle that he had not seen the suspect come inside the roller disco.
Miles posted the photo below to Facebook in the aftermath of the incident, saying, "Tonight is the first time I have ever experienced how utterly crazy T-rump people really are!"
He later posted the video below to Facebook on Saturday saying that people don't need to be turning political about this story, because this was just about "crazy people who decided to do crazy stuff."
Miles launched the Church of 8 Wheels back in 2014 as a temporary, pop-up event at the abandoned Sacred Heart Parish at Fillmore and Fell Streets. It's continued on ever since on Fridays and Saturdays.
Related: Hallelujah! Church Of 8 Wheels Reopens After Renovations