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UFC legend B.J. Penn arrested for 3rd time in 6 days amid claims of family being replaced with imposters

UFC Hall of Famer B.J. Penn was arrested again Friday in his home state of Hawaii in relation to his ongoing claims that his family has been murdered and replaced with imposters. It was Penn's third arrest over a six-day span.

Penn's latest arrest occurred as a result of the former two-division UFC champion failing to appear in court and thus violating his bail agreement, per a report from MMA Fighting. Penn was previously arrested on Sunday, May 25, and then again on Monday, May 26, both times on charges of abuse of a family or household member. Penn, 46, was once again released on bail following his latest arrest.

Hawaiian news outlet KHON2 reported that Penn unsuccessfully claimed he missed court due to him being ill with COVID. Penn's request to the court to recall his warrants was also denied.

Penn's mother, Lorraine Shin, 79, filed for a temporary restraining order against her son this past week. Judge Jeffrey Ng approved the order on Tuesday, which is to remain active for at least 180 days. Penn is expected in court again on June 10 for a hearing on the matter and must remain at least 100 feet away from his mother. He is also not allowed to contact Shin while the temporary order is in place. Violating the judge's terms could result in a misdemeanor and potential jail time.

According to court documents obtained by MMA Fighting, Shin alleges she has endured “extreme psychological abuse” at the hands of her son, with Penn accusing her of being an imposter who “killed his family” and assumed his mother’s identity. Shin told a Hawaii court that she believes her son suffers from Capgras syndrome, a rare psychological disorder that often causes people to falsely believe those close to them are imposters masquerading as family or friends.

While there is no single known cause, brain injuries and neurodegenerative diseases are believed to be among the potential mitigating factors, along with schizophrenia or other mental-health conditions.

“I believe my son [B.J. Penn] is suffering from Capgras delusional syndrome [a psychiatric disorder in which a person holds a delusion that a friend, spouse, parent, other close family member has been replaced by an identical imposter],” Shin wrote in a statement provided to authorities. “He believes I’m an imposter who has killed his family to gain control of the family assets.”

In Shin’s request for a restraining order, she alleged a disturbing pattern of behavior from Penn. After returning from a trip earlier this month, 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.

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 has made multiple posts on social media in recent months alleging that his family has been murdered and replaced by imposters. A video posted May 17 shows Penn arguing with a woman who appears to be Shin, accusing her of being an “identity thief” who is not actually his mother.

Penn last fought in the UFC in May 2019, suffering a then-record seventh consecutive loss. He was subsequently released by the UFC after video surfaced of Penn in a street fight outside a Hawaii bar.

“He won't fight again. That's it. That's a wrap,” UFC CEO Dana White said in 2019. “It's not even that this was the last straw. I didn't love him continuing to fight anyway. But when you have the relationship that he and I have, and he's getting me on the phone begging me for another fight, begging me for another opportunity, it's hard for me to turn him down. But after what I saw on that video, B.J. needs to focus on his personal life and get himself together before he thinks about fighting again.”

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