Episodes of threats and violence perpetuated by angry leftists furious about President Trump's agenda and policies, are becoming increasingly common in the US, particularly after a deranged Bernie Sanders supporter nearly killed majority whip Steve Scalise after opening fire on a practice session for the Congressional baseball game.

Another incident unfolded on Tuesday in northern California, where a 35-year-old man was arrested for whipping out a switchblade and attempting to stab Republican Congressional candidate Rudy Peters while the candidate was working a booth at the Castro Valley Fall Festival.

Rudy Peters

The man, who was later identified as Farzad Vincent Fazeli, was arrested and charged with one felony count of making criminal threats and a misdemeanor count of exhibiting a deadly weapon. According to media reports, Fazeli approached Peters unprovoked and started shouting "fuck Trump" and other "disparaging profanities" about the Republican Party. Fazeli then allegedly pulled out a switchblade and tried to stab Peters, but was foiled when the blade malfunctioned.

The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office issued a statement about the incident (read it below):

Fazeli "approached the victim in an aggressive manner and made disparaging remarks about his political party and elected officials," Alameda County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. "During the incident, Fazeli is suspected to have pulled out a switchblade knife and attempted to stab the victim. The knife malfunctioned and the victim became involved in a physical struggle with Fazeli."

County police responded to the incident at around 3:45 pm local time after somebody called in about a disturbance near Peters' booth.

Peters said he has never before been concerned about his safety prior to the attempted stabbing. "People are just polarized right now, and this country’s divided and it’s just a mess. It shouldn’t be that way," Peters said, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

"It’s a shame," he said. "People are just polarized right now, and this country’s divided and it’s just a mess. It shouldn’t be that way." "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, when Fazeli approached. Peters said he and Grcar were both "kind of shocked" by the attack, 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."

Farzad Fazeli

Per the San Francisco Chronicle, Fazeli grabbed a coffee cup from a nearby table and threw it at him, prompting Peters to come around the table and "grab him". An altercation ensued, where Peters said he threw Fazeli 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."

Fazeli then threatened to use his pink switchblade to stab Peters, but he "could not open it."

Peters then grabbed a sign from a nearby booth and used it as a shield, but fortunately someone stepped in and urged the attacker to calm down. Peters reported the incident, and Fazeli was soon detained.

Peters is running against Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell in California's fifteenth Congressional district. Given the miraculous factors that prevented this close call from becoming an unmitigated tragedy, one can't help but wonder how many more acts of extreme violence will be directed at Republicans between now and Nov. 6, and if any of them will result in tragic outcomes.