As has been happening in recent years, former UFC champion BJ Penn once again made headlines for the wrong reasons. According to a report on Monday by MMA Fighting, “The Prodigy” was arrested in Honoka’a, Hawaii, on Saturday, on suspicion of DUI. He was released hours later pending an investigation.
According to Hawaii County Police Department spokeswoman Denise Laitinen, the arrest came after police officers responded to a reckless driving complaint. Unfortunately for Penn, everything was captured on video and you can see and hear him acting belligerent, including shouting obscenities and words with no.
MMA Junkie obtained more details about the incident.
Jay Penn of Hilo, also known as BJ Penn, was arrested on Saturday, January 23, 2021, for operating a vehicle under the influence of intoxicants. At around 4:51 pm on Saturday, police from the Hamakua District’s Hawaii Police Department responded to a report by a reckless driver at a commercial property in Honoka’a.
Upon arriving at the scene, the police learned from witnesses that Penn had arrived at the scene earlier in a gray Toyota pickup. Before the police arrived, the 42-year-old man was seen speaking loudly to officials and then recklessly left the property.
While police officers were on the scene talking to company officials about the incident, they watched Penn return to the property. The officers contacted Penn and, watching for signs of disability, arrested him for operating a vehicle under the influence of toxics. Penn was later released pending further investigation.
This was not Penn’s first encounter with alcohol-related problems. In February 2020, the 42-year-old man was involved in a vehicle accident when his truck lost control outside a shopping mall in Hawaii. He was later hospitalized and placed under investigation by DUI.
As for his fighter career, Penn competed for the last time in 2019 against Clay Guida and lost by unanimous decision to compile a streak of seven consecutive defeats. The UFC decided to dismiss him from the company after his involvement in a bar fight that same year.