Former UFC two-division champion B.J. Penn was once again arrested Tuesday afternoon following an alleged assault in Hilo, Hawaii. Penn has now been arrested six times since Memorial Day weekend.
Penn, 46, is being charged with third-degree assault after allegedly punching and kicking a man at a residence in the early morning hours Tuesday. In a statement released Wednesday, Hawaii police said they responded to the scene at 1 a.m. after the alleged victim was able to leave the area and contact police. The victim later sought medical treatment for his injuries at a nearby hospital and Penn was arrested without incident the following afternoon.
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Penn’s bail was set at $1,000, which the UFC Hall of Famer posted. His court date is scheduled for Dec. 2.
The latest incident continues a troubling year for Penn, who’s been arrested five prior times by Hawaii police since late May in relation to an ongoing dispute with his 79-year-old mother, in which Penn claims that his family has been murdered and replaced with imposters. Penn currently faces multiple criminal charges from the series of incidents, including abuse of a family member, refusing to comply with a police officer and violating a restraining order.
In October, Penn was ordered by a Hilo Circuit Court judge to undergo a mental health examination, scheduled for Jan. 9, to determine his fitness for trial and whether he can be held criminally responsible for the multiple charges levied against him.
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Judge Jeffrey Ng granted Penn’s mother, Lorraine Shin, a one-year protection order against Penn in late August, which prevents her son from contacting her in any form prior to May 26, 2026. Shin proved her claim of “domestic abuse and/or extreme psychological abuse” during the court proceedings and alleged Penn suffers from a rare psychological disorder known as Capgras syndrome, which causes him to believe his family members have been replaced by imposters.
Penn was arrested on back-to-back days on May 25 and May 26, then again on May 30, June 12, and Sept. 16 on charges related the situation.
Penn has made multiple posts to his social media accounts over the past year in which he alleges his family members have been replaced by imposters, with a particular focus on his mother.
In Shin’s initial request for a restraining order, she alleged a disturbing pattern of behavior from her son. After returning from a trip in early May, Shin said she noticed many of her belongings “such as clothes, shoes, jewelry, personal items” and even her bed had all been removed from her bedroom. Shin filed a police report after Penn denied taking the items, she said, and a few days later her purse “with my driver’s license, credit card and locks for my safe” were also stolen.
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Shin said she then put up security cameras inside and outside the home, while also installing a deadbolt lock on her bedroom door. According to Shin, Penn took down or tampered with the cameras and “also put glue into my dead bolts that stopped me from opening my bedroom door.”
Shin claimed Penn then stole her mail and aggressively shined a flashlight in her face on the night of May 25 when confronted. In order to prevent her from calling the police, Shin claimed Penn “grabbed my arms and shoved me against the 4-door gray sedan, which I felt a sharp pain in my back,” resulting in her screaming for Penn’s younger brother, Reagan, to come help. Penn was ultimately arrested and ordered to stay away from his mother’s home for 48 hours, however Shin claimed she caught Penn breaking into her home again the following day. As a result, Penn was again arrested for violating the police order.
Penn last fought in the UFC in 2019, suffering his seventh consecutive loss. He was later released by the UFC after a video was released showing Penn in a street fight outside a Hawaii bar.
