A mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter subdued a man who was allegedly sucker-punching people randomly in lower Manhattan’s SoHo area.
Ro Malabanan, 44, had exited the subway and was walking on Broadway and Prince street to his boxing instructor job when he claimed to have seen a homeless man, later identified as Samuel Frazier, 28, sucker punch a man on the side of his head.
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When Malabanan checked to see if the victim was okay, two other guys approached and claimed to have seen the man attacking other people on Broadway, including an elderly person.
Malabanan, who has a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and is an actor, explained in a video he posted on Instagram that he started following Frazier and sought to subdue him.
“My jiu-jitsu instincts just kicked in. I jumped on his back,” Malabanan explained. “He tried to swing me off then, but for those of you in the know, a seatbelt position dragged him down to the floor, and I immediately took his back and pinned him to the ground.”
As Malabanan pinned the alleged attacker on the ground, other people approached, claiming to have been attacked by Frazier, with some kicking the subdued suspect, according to the MMA fighter.
Malabanan told them to stop attacking Frazier and call the police instead. The boxing instructor recounted that he checked the alleged attacker’s pockets for dangerous weapons, such as knives or razors.
As Frazier was pinned, footage from bystanders showed the subdued suspect saying to Malabanan, “They were walking into me.”
To which MMA fighter replied, “That’s bullshit, bro. You still don’t punch people in the fucking face for no reason.”
New York Police Department officers later arrived and took Frazier into custody, where he was charged with two counts of assault, the New York Post reported. Authorities also noted that Frazier is homeless.
Malabanan finished his video by warning viewers that there may be more people out there who may seek to attack people randomly.
“A lot of crazies out there right now in the streets, so just please be careful. They will sucker punch you, they will take out their frustration,” Malabanan said. “It is hot in New York right now. Hot temperatures equal hot heads, and some people are just looking for a reason to cause trouble.”
You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.
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