Three Myths Busted by the War Machine/Christy Mack Police Report

To this point, everything we “know” about War Machine‘s alleged assault of Christy Mack comes from Mack’s gruesome public statement, along with conjecture from War Machine apologists who weren’t there. Yesterday, TapNapSnap uploaded the official police report — which was drafted and signed on August 9th — and it sheds a little more light on some of the questions that still remain from the incident. Here are three myths that have been officially busted, now that we know what was actually reported to police…

1) War Machine was “fighting for his life.” According to the fighter’s initial twitter recap of the incident, Jon Koppenhaver showed up to the home of Christy Mack (real name: Christine Mackinday) with an engagement ring, and found himself in a life-or-death struggle. The police report makes the incident sounds pretty one-sided:

“At approximately 1:30-2 am [Mackinday] woke up to her dogs barking (2 pit bulls that were also sleeping in her bed) and Koppenhaver walking into her room (Koppenhaver was wearing camo Tom’s, dark grey cargo shots [sic], and a white shirt which read ‘Alpha Male Shit Clothing Company’) and turned on the light. Koppenhaver than attacked Thomas while he was lying in the bed and Koppenhaver began punching [Corey] Thomas in the face. Mackinday asked Koppenhaver to stop and Koppenhaver continued to punch Thomas. While Koppenhaver was beating Thomas, Mackinday dialed 911 from her cell phone, and hid the phone from Koppenhaver. Mackinday did not say anything to Koppenhaver, and she left the phone with an open line.

Mackinday explained Koppenhaver choked Thomas by placing Thomas in a ‘rear naked choke’…The fighting continued for approximately 10 minutes and Koppenhaver eventually released Thomas from the choke hold. Thomas was bleeding “profusely” from his face and Koppenhaver had Thomas’s blood on his shirt. Koppenhaver told Thomas to leave and told Thomas that he would kill him if he reported this and Koppenhaver went to jail. Koppenhaver said he would give his friends all of Thomas’s information and his friends would find Thomas and kill him if anything happened to Koppenhaver.”

To this point, everything we “know” about War Machine‘s alleged assault of Christy Mack comes from Mack’s gruesome public statement, along with conjecture from War Machine apologists who weren’t there. Yesterday, TapNapSnap uploaded the official police report — which was drafted and signed on August 9th — and it sheds a little more light on some of the questions that still remain from the incident. Here are three myths that have been officially busted, now that we know what was actually reported to police…

1) War Machine was “fighting for his life.” According to the fighter’s initial twitter recap of the incident, Jon Koppenhaver showed up to the home of Christy Mack (real name: Christine Mackinday) with an engagement ring, and found himself in a life-or-death struggle. The police report makes the incident sounds pretty one-sided:

“At approximately 1:30-2 am [Mackinday] woke up to her dogs barking (2 pit bulls that were also sleeping in her bed) and Koppenhaver walking into her room (Koppenhaver was wearing camo Tom’s, dark grey cargo shots [sic], and a white shirt which read ‘Alpha Male Shit Clothing Company’) and turned on the light. Koppenhaver than attacked Thomas while he was lying in the bed and Koppenhaver began punching [Corey] Thomas in the face. Mackinday asked Koppenhaver to stop and Koppenhaver continued to punch Thomas. While Koppenhaver was beating Thomas, Mackinday dialed 911 from her cell phone, and hid the phone from Koppenhaver. Mackinday did not say anything to Koppenhaver, and she left the phone with an open line.

Mackinday explained Koppenhaver choked Thomas by placing Thomas in a ‘rear naked choke’…The fighting continued for approximately 10 minutes and Koppenhaver eventually released Thomas from the choke hold. Thomas was bleeding “profusely” from his face and Koppenhaver had Thomas’s blood on his shirt. Koppenhaver told Thomas to leave and told Thomas that he would kill him if he reported this and Koppenhaver went to jail. Koppenhaver said he would give his friends all of Thomas’s information and his friends would find Thomas and kill him if anything happened to Koppenhaver.”

According to Mack’s account, Koppenhaver then turned his attention to her.

2) War Machine and Christy Mack were not in a relationship at the time at the alleged assault. In Mack’s initial statement, she said that Koppenhaver broke up with her in May and moved back to San Diego. Christy’s actual statement to the police contradicts that:

“[Mackinday] has been [in] an ‘on-again, off-again’ dating relationship with Jonathan (Jon) Koppenhaver for the past 15 months. Currently they are in a dating relationship and she identified Koppenhaver as her ‘boyfriend’.”

“Mackinday’s friend Corey Thomas was also at Mackinday’s home and sleeping in the same bed as Mackinday. Mackinday described she and Thomas are currently in a “non-sexual relationship”, though have had sex in the past.”

Apparently, Thomas didn’t think he was just a friend: “Corey Thomas states he is also in a dating relationship with Christine Mackinday for 2 to 3 months.” Yeesh. Poor bastard.

3) War Machine is “not a bad guy.” From the police report:

“Mackinday remembers Koppenhaver going through her Instagram and Twitter accounts and every time Koppenhaver found something he did not like, he would hit her in the face with both open and closed fists…While Mackinday was lying on the ground in the bathroom Koppenhaver told her ‘that’s my pussy and I’m gonna take it back now.’ Koppenhaver then licked his hand and put it on her vagina.”

Note: Most of the major details from Christy’s account are echoed in the police report, but the details about Koppenhaver stabbing her and cutting off her hair with a dull knife are absent. The report only mentions that Koppenhaver held the knife to her head and threatened her with it, before going to the kitchen to find a sharper one.

Of course, the police report is based on Mackinday and Thomas’s statements and the subsequent investigation; Koppenhaver’s “side of the story” has yet to make it into any official accounts. But he’ll have his day in court. Hopefully he’ll be acting as his own lawyer.