--- title: "Man Dressed as Ninja Attacks Army Special Ops Soldiers With Katana Sword" description: "Last month, a man dressed in \"full ninja garb\" decided to attack a member of the US Army special operations unit in the middle of the California desert." date: "2021-10-04" modified: "2021-10-04" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/ninja-attacks-special-ops-katana" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "ninja" - "the digest" - "us army" --- # Man Dressed as Ninja Attacks Army Special Ops Soldiers With Katana Sword ![Last month, a man dressed in "full ninja garb" decided to attack a member of the US Army special operations unit in the middle of the California desert.]() *\Image: Futurism\* ## Street Ninja Ever wondered what would happen if you brought a literal katana to a potential gun fight? Last month, a man dressed in "full ninja garb" attacked a US Army special operations unit in the middle of the California desert, resulting in two injuries, according to a [Facebook post]() by the local Kern County Sheriff's Office. Deputies "discovered the suspect had assaulted a victim at the scene with a sword, and thrown a rock through a hangar window, hitting an additional victim in the head," according to the update — a bleak real-world twist on the ["Snow Crash" formula](). ## Sword Art The suspect, identified as 35-year-old Gino Rivera, reportedly fought through non-lethal projectiles being shot at him and tried to flee the scene. "Do you know who I am?" the ninja reportedly asked, according to documents [obtained by *Stars and Stripes*](). A soldier replied no. "Do you know where my family is?" the ninja asked, prompting another no. A taser later forced Rivera to drop the sword, allowing deputies to take him into custody. He's now facing a host of charges including "attempted homicide, assault with a deadly weapon, brandishing a weapon, brandishing a weapon with the intent to resist or prevent an arrest, vandalism, and obstruct/delay a peace officer," according to the update. So there you go, folks. Just in case you were wondering why not to attack special operatives with a katana, here's a fresh argument against it. **READ MORE:** [A ninja with a sword assailed a U.S. Army special operations unit in California]() \[*NPR*\] **More on sword fighting:** *[YouTuber Uses Exoskeleton to Wield Gigantic Anime Sword]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()