Jiu-Jitsu Class Takes Break, Practices On Man Robbing The Bike Shop Next Door

A jiu-jitsu class in Wesley Chapel, Florida were on a break during their Thursday evening class when they discovered that the Kona Swim Bike Run shop next door had been broken in to.

The students and instructors heard sounds and decided to investigate. That’s when they saw the broken glass and realized someone was inside the closed shop.

According to Jason Carrio, co-owner and instructor of Hammerfist Krav Maga, he and two others started monitoring the situation, and when the bike thief came out with more than $15,000 in bikes and clothing, they pounced.

David Menzies (pictured above), 30, had allegedly broken into the store and “even took a Jeep for a test ride and parked it out back to load up,” Bay News 9 reports.

He didn’t realize the jiu-jitsu class in session would take an interest until it was too late.

“We started yelling to him, you know, ‘Hey, is that your stuff? Are those your bikes? What are you doing?'” Carrio said.

Undeterred, Menzies allegedly continued with the heist, to which Carrio said he’d already called the police. Menzies, perhaps in an attempt to flee the scene, said that was fine, and that he would just wait in the car, according to the instructor.

“I knew as soon as he got into that car he was going to try and take off and the car was running,” Carrio said. That’s when the men brushed up on their jiu-jitsu moves. “I just reacted, to be quite honest with you. I just reacted. I just felt like this is the right thing to do.”

Carrio used his knowledge of the discipline to hold Menzies down until police could arrive and make the proper arrest.

“Clearly he didn’t read or he doesn’t know what Krav Maga and jiu-jitsu is but definitely a bad environment to come and try to break the law,” Carrio said. Authorities later confirmed that Menzies admitted to the attempted robbery.

While you probably know what jiu-jitsu is, Krav Maga is a self-defense system focused on real-world combat situations. It was developed by the Israeli military and, according to Darren Levine and John Whitman, authors of Complete Krav Maga: The Ultimate Guide to Over 200 Self-Defense and Combative Techniques, it incorporates elements of Aikido, Boxing, Judo, and Wrestling.

So, Menzies was a perfect training partner to “practice” with.

Do you think this jiu-jitsu class stepped over any lines, or should more people take a stand when they notice someone breaking the law?

[Image via Wesley Chapel Police c/o Bay 9 News, linked above]