Former UFC champion B.J. Penn has been arrested for the third time within a six-day period. His most recent arrest occurred on Friday, after which he was released on bail.
This latest incident resulted from Penn`s failure to appear in court, which constituted a violation of his previous bail conditions. These conditions were set following his two earlier arrests for alleged abuse of a family or household member. His non-appearance prompted the issuance of a bench warrant.
Penn faced two bail violation charges stemming from the prior arrests. He was subsequently released from custody upon posting a $2,000 bond.
According to reports, Penn sought to have the bench warrant withdrawn, asserting that his court absence was due to illness from COVID-19. The judge, however, did not accept this explanation, leading to his re-arrest.
In a separate development, a judge denied Penn`s request for a restraining order against his mother, Lorraine Shin. The court found that his allegations “do not establish a basis for relief.” This marks the second time Penn`s attempt to secure a restraining order against his mother has been unsuccessful, following disturbing social media posts where he claimed several family members had been murdered and replaced by imposters.
While Penn`s request was denied, his mother was granted a temporary restraining order against him. This order mandates that he must maintain a distance of at least 100 feet from her at all times. Her request was based on detailed accounts of what she described as “extreme psychological abuse” inflicted by her son.
In her initial court filing, Shin outlined several recent instances of Penn`s behavior towards her. These included allegations that he put glue in the lock of her bedroom door to prevent her entry and also allegedly stole her mail. The mail theft reportedly led to a physical altercation that resulted in his arrest.
Shin further stated in her court submission that Penn allegedly blinded her with a bright flashlight to stop her from contacting the police after she discovered her mail in the back seat of a vehicle driven by one of his friends. When she attempted to retrieve the mail, Shin claims Penn grabbed her arms and pushed her against the car, causing her to cry out for help from her other son, Reagan Penn.
“I believe my son [B.J. Penn] is suffering from Capgras delusional syndrome,” Shin told police when filing for the restraining order, referencing the psychiatric disorder where a person believes close relatives have been replaced by identical imposters. “He believes I’m an imposter who has killed his family to gain control of the family assets.”
She requested a six-month temporary restraining order for her safety and asked the court to order her son to seek medical treatment or therapy.
Concerns surrounding the 46-year-old Penn`s mental health have grown following numerous posts about his family allegedly being killed and replaced by imposters. The decorated UFC veteran also shared a video of his initial arrest last Sunday, which was the first of three times he was taken into custody in under a week.
