A mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter stopped a man apparently fighting with a Porter County Sheriff’s Office patrolman but said the incident did not faze him.
The moment Valparaiso, Indiana, resident William Cassoday rushed over to assist patrolman Jamison Smith, his experience as a fighter and skills from earning a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu came in handy, Lake Geneva Regional News reported Wednesday.
MMA is described as a full-contact combat sport involving different techniques and skills from other combat sports that are used in competitions, according to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) website.
“Stuff like that doesn’t bother me,” Cassoday recalled of what happened. He was in the car with his wife when he saw the officer parked on Swanson Road, conversing with someone.
He saw the man “swinging at the cop,” Cassoday explained, adding he immediately pulled over and ran to the scene but was careful not to surprise the officer.
When the man, identified as Christopher Delgado, got ready to fight, Cassoday knew exactly what to do and placed him into a rear naked choke.
Video footage from 2020 showed fighters using the rear naked choke move during a competition:
The man then went limp, according to Cassoday, who got Delgado on the ground so that Smith could put him in handcuffs.
Smith had been driving down the road and noticed Delgado, who was wanted on a charge of car theft. But when the officer told the suspect he was not allowed to leave the area, Delgado became aggressive.
However, it was not long before Cassoday showed up at the scene.
According to Smith, he had swelling on his face after a punch reportedly thrown by the suspect.
Now, Delgado is facing a felony count of battery on an officer resulting in bodily injury, a misdemeanor resisting law enforcement, and false informing.
Porter County Sheriff’s Office Cpl. Benjamin McFalls said the agency could not express the depth of its gratitude to Cassoday for his courage in such a tense situation.
“Putting his own safety aside, he ran into harm’s way, assisting Officer Smith in taking a felon into custody,” McFalls continued, adding officials plan to honor him.
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