Former UFC fighter BJ Penn has been arrested on Sunday on suspicion of DUI after a complaint of reckless driving.
A video of BJ Penn getting arrested first surfaced on the internet earlier, in which the UFC Hall-of-Famer is caught yelling expletives at the person recording the incident.
Watch the video below:
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According to reports, BJ Penn was arrested on January 23 in Honokaa, Hawaii, as confirmed by Hawaii County Police Department spokesperson Denise Laitinen to several news outlets. MMA Junkie reported on the statement released by Hawaii PD on Monday Afternoon.
"Jay Penn of Hilo, also known as BJ Penn, was arrested Saturday, January 23, 2021, for operating a vehicle under the influence of intoxicants. About 4:51 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, Hawai‘i Police Department officers from the Hamakua district responded to a report of a reckless driver on a business property in Honoka’a.
Upon arriving on scene, police learned through witnesses that Penn had arrived at the business earlier in a gray Toyota pickup truck. Prior to police arrival, the 42-year-old was observed talking loudly towards employees and later drove off the property in a reckless manner.
While officers were at the scene speaking with the business employees about the incident, they observed Penn return to the property. Officers contacted Penn and observing signs of impairment, arrested him for operating a vehicle under the influence of intoxicants. Penn was later released pending further investigation."
Previous charges against BJ Penn
This is certainly not the first run-in with the law that BJ Penn has had. The UFC Hall-of-Famer was hospitalized and investigated for yet another DUI charge last February after a car crash in his native city Hilo. He has recently been visiting the court owing to a paternity suit filed by the mother of Mahina Amado Penn, as well as fighting for the custody of his kids with his ex-partner, Shelean Uaiwa, who has filed a restraining order against him over alleged domestic abuse
BJ Penn's release from UFC also came a month after a video surfaced of him being involved in a brawl outside a bar. He was in the talks of getting a fight with Nik Lentz when the incident took place, and the bout never came to fruition. BJ Penn's last fight in the octagon was on May 11, 2019, against Clay Guida, where he lost via decision. That was his seventh consecutive defeat since losing to Nick Diaz in 2011.