Sabrina Penty
Updated on June 7, 2024 at 14:51 and June 7, 2024 at 14:54
- Martial arts instructor uses his skills to take down suspected thief
- In the video, a Planet Jiu-Jitsu employee can be seen using judo throws to subdue the attacker.
- Suspected robber claims incident was a misunderstanding
A gym employee used his martial arts skills to take down a suspected car thief, and credited his training for helping him fight off his attacker.
On Monday, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu blue belt Gavin Archer, 18, was training at 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, when he noticed a man outside, allegedly looking into his car.
When Gavin tried to confront him, the man jumped on him.
The 18-year-old was able to use his jiu-jitsu skills to quickly subdue his attacker.
CCTV footage shows Gavin using a judo throw to knock the man to the ground and gain the upper hand.
After landing several blows to the man's face, he was able to capture the man in a headlock and incapacitate him.
The video was posted to Facebook by one of the gym's instructors, praising the young instructor's skills.
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The post reads: “G's years of martial arts and jiu-jitsu training allowed him to minimize the damage he received by throwing the man to the ground, judo-style, pinning him down on his back, and choking him until he lost consciousness, eliminating the danger so he could call the police.”
“This is why jiu-jitsu saves lives. Imagine what would have happened if this guy had no training at all when he attacked G. He could have been seriously injured or killed.”
The boy told I-Team 8 of WishTV.com that he was alone at the martial arts gym when he saw Wilkerson rummaging through cars outside.
“I was a little nervous and then he just went at me. It all happened so fast I didn't have time to think,” Archer said.
But Andrew Wilkerson, the man Archer punched, said it was all a misunderstanding. He told I-Team 8 he was just working as a mechanic at an auto repair shop next door to the gym.
Wilkerson told I-Team 8 he was trying to use the keys to a car in front of the repair shop because it matched the description of the next car he was going to repair.
“I tried it for a few minutes and then you can see in the video I started walking towards the store.”
That's when the boy came to the front door to confront Wilkerson.
“He's like, 'Don't go anywhere, I'm going to call the police,'” Wilkerson continued.
“I've been working there for a few months, I know what the gym does and I know this guy is a trained fighter, so when he tells me not to go anywhere… the last thing I want to do right now is turn around and see that he's not behind me.”
Wilkerson explained that he took a stand and raised his voice: “I stepped forward and said, hey, listen to me. And he took a step back and pushed the gym door all the way open. In that situation, it looked like he was coming at me next.”
Afterwards, Wilkerson said, “I just reacted and went after him.”
He also told the press that it was Archer who made the situation worse, but his martial arts instructor said that was against his martial arts training.
No arrests were made, according to Indianapolis Metropolitan Police.
As of Tuesday, Wilkerson was no longer working at the auto shop.
