UFC legend BJ Penn has been arrested in Hawaii, reportedly for the fourth time in two weeks, after violating a restraining order that is believed to have been approved for his mother.
In late May, Penn posted on Instagram to claim that a “fake” version of his mother – an “imposter identity theif” [sic] – had “tried to get me to assault her”.
“She has already walked around my house with a gun when I asked her about my finances and my families [sic] finances,” wrote Penn, 46, who last competed in mixed martial arts in 2019, falling to a seventh straight defeat.
Penn, a former two-weight UFC champion, has had numerous run-ins with the law over the years, and Thursday’s arrest was his fourth in two weeks, per MMA Fighting.
A statement from the Hawaii Police Department on Thursday (12 June) read: “Hawaii Island police arrested and charged 46-year-old Jay Dee ‘BJ’ Penn on Thursday, June 12, 2025, for violating a temporary restraining order.
“Upon responding to the area of Pu‘u‘eo Street in Hilo at 11.15am Thursday morning to investigate a report, officers learned that Penn had entered within a residence, violating the terms of a temporary restraining order in which Penn is the respondent.
“Penn was located within the area and arrested without incident. He was processed at the Hilo Police Station and released after posting bail, which was set at $3,000. He is slated to make his initial appearance in family court on Friday June 13 2025, at 11.30am.”
While the statement did not indicate whose residence Penn had entered, his mother Lorraine Shin recently had a protective order approved, barring him from the home they shared.
It was reported by MMA Fighting that Shin said in a prior statement to police: “I believe my son is suffering from Capgras delusional syndrome [a psychiatric disorder in which a person holds a delusion that a friend, spouse, parent, other close family member has been replaced by an identical imposter].
“He believes I’m an imposter who has killed his family to gain control of the family assets. In the best interest for my safety, I ask the court for a six month [temporary restraining order] and have my son ordered to get medical treatment or other source of therapy.”
