B.J. Penn arrested, released on suspicion of DUI; angry encounter caught on video
B.J. Penn has been arrested again.
Penn, a UFC Hall of Famer, was arrested and released Sunday in Honoka’a, Hawaii on suspicion of DUI following a reckless driving complaint, Hawaii Police Department spokesperson Denise Laitinen confirmed to MMA Junkie on Monday.
“B.J. Penn was arrested on (Jan. 23, 2021) in Honoka’a for driving under the influence,” Laitinen said in a written statement. “He has been released pending investigation.”
Update: Further details, as well as a mugshot of Penn, were released by the Hawaii police department 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.
MMA Fighting first reported Penn’s arrest after a video of an angry, handcuffed Penn being helped into a vehicle by police officers appeared on MMA Reddit. In the video, Penn is screaming expletives in the direction of the person filming.
Penn, 42, has had several run-ins with the law in recent years – including an incident related to suspicion of DUI last February. Penn was investigated on suspicion of DUI following a single-car motor vehicle crash and subsequent blood-alcohol test in his hometown of Hilo.
Penn, a former UFC lightweight and welterweight champion, has not competed in the UFC since May 2019. He was booked to fight rival Nik Lentz in late 2019, but the fight never happened.
Penn was released from the UFC after videos of him partaking in a brawl outside a bar surfaced online. One video shows Penn being dropped by a punch from his combatant, with another showing the Hawaiian MMA legend pummeling the individual on the ground.