Former UFC champion B.J. Penn was arrested for the third time in just six days on Friday before being released on bail.
This most recent arrest occurred because Penn failed to appear in court, which violated his previous bail conditions set after he was taken into custody twice for alleged abuse of a family or household member. His non-appearance led to a bench warrant being issued for his arrest.
Penn faced two bail violations arising from the earlier arrests and was ultimately released from custody after posting a $2,000 bond.
According to a separate report from KHON2 in Hawaii, Penn had asked for the bench warrant to be withdrawn, claiming he missed court because he was ill with COVID. The judge evidently disagreed with this explanation, resulting in Penn`s re-arrest.
In a separate development, a judge also denied Penn’s request for a restraining order against his mother, Lorraine Shin, determining that his allegations “do not establish a basis for relief.” This is the second time a judge has rejected Penn`s attempt to obtain a restraining order against his mother. These attempts followed several disturbing posts Penn made on social media, suggesting that various family members had been killed and replaced by imposters.
Although Penn’s request was denied, his mother was granted a temporary restraining order against him. This order mandates that he must stay at least 100 feet away from her at all times. Her application detailed how he had inflicted “extreme psychological abuse” on her.
In her initial court filing, Shin claimed Penn had acted aggressively towards her multiple times recently. These claims included allegations that he put glue in the lock of her bedroom door to prevent her entry and also allegedly stole her mail. The alleged mail theft reportedly led to an altercation that resulted in his arrest.
In her statement to the court, Shin stated that Penn used a bright flashlight to blind her, attempting to prevent her from calling the police after she saw her mail in the back seat of a vehicle driven by one of his friends. When she tried to retrieve the mail, Shin claims Penn allegedly grabbed her arms and pushed her against the car, leading her to scream for help from her son, Reagan Penn.
When filing for the restraining order, Shin told police, “I believe my son [B.J. Penn] is suffering from Capgras delusional syndrome (a psychiatric disorder in which a person holds a delusion that a friend, spouse, parent, other close family member has been replaced by an identical imposter). He believes I’m an imposter who has killed his family to gain control of the family assets.”
She added, “In the best interest for my safety, I ask the court for a six month [temporary restraining order] and have my son ordered to get medical treatment or other source of therapy.”
The judge approved the temporary restraining order, with the next court date scheduled for June 10.
The 46-year-old Penn`s mental health has become a point of concern, particularly after his numerous posts online about his family being murdered and replaced by imposters. The former UFC champion also posted a video documenting his initial arrest last Sunday, the first of three times he was taken into custody within a single week.
