At a store outside of Atlanta, GA an MMA trained store clerk subdued an alleged shoplifter, who is accused of drawing a knife.
Last week, CCTV cameras captured what appeared to be 26-year-old Tommy Padgett concealing a bottle of liquor in his backpack at Northridge Bottle Shop outside of Atlanta, GA. When the store owner witnessed the alleged attempted theft, his son Suk Cho — who is also a clerk at the store — called 911.
“I tried to take the bottle away from him, but he said he didn’t take it,” said Cho to a dispatcher. “Please just send somebody here right now.”
WSB-TV 2 reports that along with calling the police Cho confronted Padgett. Video reveals that after Cho approached Padgett, the pair squared up to each other and a scuffle ensued.
Police say that during this melee Padgett pulled a knife on Cho. However, Cho was still able to subdue Padgett and contain him until officers with the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office arrived on the scene. For this, Cho credits his training in mixed martial arts.
The surveillance video shows Cho and Padgett clinched up and shuffling out of the liquor store’s door. On the way outside, Cho secured a guillotine choke on Padgett, which he used to take Padgett to the ground. There Cho and an accomplice held Padgett for the minutes it took for law enforcement to attend and take over the scene.
WSB-TV 2 included the surveillance footage in their video report on the incident, which is available below:
Police charged Padgett with robbery and aggravated assault. He is considered innocent until proven guilty.
Individuals with MMA or BJJ training using their skills on suspected law-breakers is nothing new. Professional fighters past and present have been known to interject themselves into incidents such as this, like when UFC hall-of-famer Matt Serra took on a ‘drunk moron’ in a Las Vegas restaurant. There’s more than one amateur fighter who has used submission skills in a sticky situation, too — such as when Macauley Peckitt slapped on an RNC against a mugger who tried robbing an 83-year-old in England.