Police arrest a suspect wearing a hat during a sword attack in Lower Haight

Police arrested a man suspected of attacking and seriously injured another man with a sword in Lower Haight on Friday after the victim hit the "Make America Great Again" hat that the suspect wore on his head.

The suspect, Leor Bergland, a 30-year-old San Francisco resident, was arrested in Tenderloin last night. A SFPD spokesman said he was seen by plainclothes police on Eddy and Larkin streets, where he was dining in a restaurant.

According to police, Bergland was arrested "without incident" and transferred to San Francisco County Prison, charged with attempted murder, murder, aggravated assault, stabbing or stabbing. a concealed dagger and brandishing a weapon. The police did not provide a photo reservation, citing "outstanding identification issues".

The saber attack took place around 21h50. on March 29, outside the 8-Wheeler Church, the abandoned skating rink, turned into a roller skate, on Fillmore between Fell and Oak Streets.

According to police, the incident began when Bergland, who was wearing a "Make America Great Again" or "MAGA" baseball cap, began walking towards the unnamed victim, a 27-year-old Berkeley resident.

The victim crushed the cap, usually worn by supporters of President Trump, on Bergland's head. In response, Bergland reportedly took out a sword, partially cutting off the victim's left hand before fleeing.

Police said that the victim and a witness had tried to sue Bergland after the attack, but when he returned and began to advance towards them, he said, "I did not see him. sword still in hand, they ended their pursuits.

The victim, whom the police did not name, was hospitalized for life-threatening injuries. After receiving treatment for his partially cut hand, he was released from the hospital this week.

Earlier this week, a witness told the Chronicle that he had seen Bergland on the outside of the roller rink about half an hour before the attack and that this one him allegedly launched homophobic insults. The witness also saw that Bergland was wearing the sword, but assumed that it was a fake.

Hoodline asked the police for further details on whether homophobic statements had been implicated in the saber attack and will update this post if we had heard it.

The aftermath of the attack created difficulties for David Miles, founder of Church of 8 Wheels and veteran of the local skating scene. After posting a Facebook photo of the scene showing MAGA's hat and the victim's blood on the sidewalk (above), Miles received phone calls and messages on social networks accusing him of promoting a plot against Trump supporters.

Miles, a veteran from Vietnam, told the examiner on Tuesday that he had disconnected his phone line and was cautiously approaching the rink, fearing a potential attacker.

"I answered someone who needed help," he told the examiner. "I went out to help him. You do not look for hats, you stop the bleeding. "

In a Facebook post this afternoon, Miles expressed his enthusiasm for the idea of ​​arresting the suspect.

"The swordsman got caught last night!" he wrote. Now his hat says, "My ass was stopped! "Http://hoodline.com/"