Former UFC lightweight and welterweight champion, BJ Penn is currently being investigated by the Hawai’i Police Department for a potential DUI after being hospitalized for crashing and flipping his truck in his hometown of Hilo, Hawaii last Friday, Feb. 7, at 7 p.m. according to Big Island Now, a local media company that broke the news story, Tuesday, Feb. 11.
Penn was immediately transported to the Hawai’i Medical Center (HMC) by paramedics upon their arrival. As of now, the extent of his injuries are still unknown.
Following the incident, there was a caller report made to the HPD stating Penn was speeding, lost control and flipped the car. Penn was the only one involved in the accident that occured on Route 11 in Hilo, near the Prince Kuhio Plaza.
Due to a new protocol, the police were not able to administer a blood alcohol content (BAC) test at the scene of the crash.
In Hawai’i, BAC tests are considered invalid if they are taken more than three hours after an incident has occured. However, upon immediately being transported to HMC, the hospital was able to draw blood samples from Penn within the three hour window from the time the incident occured.
According to Puna Patrol Cpt. Ken Quiocho, HMC reached out to the police department to share the blood results, which upon further review, ended up in warranting the DUI investigation on Penn.
Penn (16-14-2 MMA, 12-13 UFC), hasn’t been doing well over the last few years. The former two-division champion is 0-7 in his last seven fights, fighting as recently as last May against Clay Guida where he lost by unanimous decision.
Over the last year, Penn’s struggles have gotten worse and began to bleed into his personal life as well. Last April, he was accused of domestic and sexual abuse by the mother of his kids, which ultimately resulted in a restraining order against him.
Most recently, before Friday’s car crash, Penn was caught on tape by TMZ getting knocked out, outside of a bar in a fight.
Penn, who has many successful MMA businesses, can’t seem to get out of his own way as of late. He own’s a UFC gym in Hilo, as well as a successful MMA news media company.
Penn, 41, fought in the UFC as recently as last year.
CTE is something that comes to mind when you think of Penn and his actions over the past year. Between being involved in a DUI investigation, getting knocked out outside a bar, and domestic and sexual violence accusations, Penn does not seem to be in the right state of mind.
Hopefully Penn can get the proper help that he needs so he can get his life back in order before it’s too late. The former UFC champion and Hall of Famer has been beloved by many in the UFC and the Hawaiian community, since he was a teen.
This is an on going news story that will be being updated when new information is released.
[…] Initial reports stated that Penn had flipped his car on Route 11 in Hilo, as a result of speeding. He was then transported by paramedics to the Hawai’i Medical Center (HMC) to be treated for his injuries. […]