Jake Massey
An MMA fighter has recounted taking down a man in New York City who was allegedly assaulting people in the street.
Ro Malabanan – who has a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and a yellow belt in judo – was walking to his boxing instructor job through the Manhattan shopping district last Wednesday (27 July) when he said he witnessed the man punch a construction worker.
After checking to see if the victim was OK, the 44-year-old's 'jiu-jitsu instincts just kicked in', and he chased the suspect down the street before tackling him from behind.
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In a video posted on Instagram, he said: "My jiu-jitsu instincts just kicked in. I jumped on his back.
"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."
He continued: "Out of nowhere people were like 'yeah this guy punched me in the face,' 'yeah this guy hit me,' 'this guy hit an old guy.'"
Two officers eventually arrived and arrested the man as the gathered crowd watched on.
Samuel Frazier, 28, of no fixed address, was charged with two counts of assault.
Malabanan – who has lived in the city since immigrating from the Philippines at the age of nine, according to the New York Post – encouraged people to keep their wits about them in the street.
He said: "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.
"It's hot in New York right now, so temperatures equals hot heads and some people out there just looking for a reason to just cause trouble.
"For those of you that are in the martial arts – stay frosty, do your part. Make sure that you don't punch him or kick him or anything to turn it more violent, but if you can subdue him somehow and wait for the cops to get there, that's probably the best situation.
"Everyone else, just please stay aware. Stay safe everyone."
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