As the story has been for the past few years, former UFC champion BJ Penn once again made headlines for the wrong reasons. According to a Monday report by MMA Fighting, ‘The Prodigy’ was arrested on Saturday in Honoka’a, Hawaii, on suspicion of DUI. He was released hours later pending an investigation.
According to Hawaii police spokeswoman Denise Laitinen, the arrest came after officers responded to a reckless driving charge. Unfortunately for Penn, it’s all captured on video and you can see and hear him act belligerent, including shouting obstinacies and shouting the n-word.
MMA Junkie got more details about the incident.
Jay Penn of Hilo, also known as BJ Penn, was arrested on Saturday, January 23, 2021 for driving a vehicle under the influence of intoxicants. At about 4:51 p.m. Saturday afternoon, Hawaii Hamakua District Hawaii police responded to a report by a reckless driver on a commercial property in Honoka’a.
Upon arrival at the scene, police were told by witnesses that Penn had earlier arrived at the business in a gray Toyota pickup truck. Before the police arrived, the 42-year-old was observed talking loudly to employees and later drove off the property in a reckless manner.
While officers spoke to business staff at the scene about the incident, they saw Penn returning to the property. Officers contacted Penn and observed signs of impairment and arrested him for driving a vehicle under the influence of intoxication. Penn was later released pending further investigation.
This was not Penn’s first brush with alcohol-related problems. In February 2020, the 42-year-old was involved in a single accident when his pickup truck lost control outside a mall in Hawaii. He was subsequently admitted to the hospital for DUI.
As for his fighting career, Penn last competed against Clay Guida in 2019 and lost by unanimous decision to put together a losing streak of seven fights. The UFC decided to release him from the company after his involvement in a bar dispute the same year.