UFC Hall of Famer BJ Penn has found himself in trouble with the law once again.
According to a confirmation obtained by MMA Junkie from a Hawaii Police Department spokesperson, Penn was arrested and released Sunday in Honka’a, Hawaii on suspicion of a DUI stemmed from a reckless driving complaint.
“B.J. Penn was arrested on (Jan. 23, 2021) in Honka’a for driving under the influence,” the spokesperson said in a written statement to MMA Junkie. “He has been released pending investigation.”
Following a video that surfaced on a MMA Reddit that showed Penn getting arrested and shouting expletives while getting put in the back of a police car, which caused multiple media outlets to report the news, the Hawaii Police Department released an official statement on Monday regarding the high profile arrest.
The statement read:
“Jay Penn of Hilo, also known as BJ Penn, was arrested Saturday January 23, 2021, for operating a vehicle under the influence of intoxicants.
About 4:51 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, Hawai‘i Police Department officers from the Hamakua district responded to a report of a reckless driver on a business property in Honoka’a.
Upon arriving on scene, police learned through witnesses that Penn had arrived at the business earlier in a gray Toyota pickup truck. Prior to police arrival, the 42-year-old was observed talking loudly towards employees and later drove off the property in a reckless manner.
While officers were at the scene speaking with the business employees about the incident, they observed Penn return to the property. Officers contacted Penn and observing signs of impairment, arrested him for operating a vehicle under the influence of intoxicants. Penn was later released pending further investigation.”
Penns last incident with the law was last February, when he was hospitalized after flipping his truck, which resulted in a DUI investigation.
Prior to that, Penn was caught on tape by TMZ getting knocked out in a fight outside of a bar.
