A Castro Valley man shouting profanities about President Trump attacked a Republican congressional candidate who was working an election booth at a town festival, threatening him and trying to stab him with a switchblade, authorities and the candidate said Tuesday.
Local media identified the candidate as Republican Rudy Peters, who is challenging Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell in November.
Farzad Vincent Fazeli, 35, was jailed after the alleged Sunday attack on Rudy Peters at the Castro Valley Fall Festival. Alameda County prosecutors charged Fazeli on Tuesday with a felony count of making criminal threats and misdemeanor counts of exhibiting a deadly weapon and possessing a switchblade.
“All of a sudden we hear someone screaming, “F— Trump, f— Trump!” Peters recalled. He said the man raised his middle finger and was “standing right in front of the booth.”
Peters had been sitting with Joseph Grcar, a Republican state Assembly candidate. He said they were both “kind of shocked” by the outburst, but that the man seemed like he was walking off. “The next thing you know,” Peters said, “he stops and turns around and says, ‘I’ll show you,’ and runs at the booth.”
Peters said the man grabbed a coffee cup from the table and threw it at him, prompting Peters to come around the table and “grab him.” Peters said he threw him to the ground before the suspect hopped back up, reached into his pocket and grabbed the switchblade.
“He’s screaming, ‘I’m gonna kill you, motherf—er!’” Peters said. “He had the knife, but the blade wouldn’t shoot out.” – READ MORE