Dennis RomeroSan Diego-based mixed martial arts fighter Jonathan “War Machine” Koppenhaver was captured at a Simi Valley hotel today, authorities said.
His ex-girlfriend, adult performer Christy Mack, alleged earlier this month that he had brutally beaten her at her Sin City residence. Las Vegas police had multiple warrants for his arrest, a spokesman for that department told us today.
The man known as War Machine was sought throughout Southern California, not only by police but by Dog the Bounty Hunter. He was found in a hotel room alongside “a small quantity of cash and some pizza,” the Simi Valley Police Department said in a statement:
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Cops say the mixed martial artist was a former resident of Simi Valley and that investigators developed information that he might be in town.
Local police, along with U.S. Marshals, nabbed him at the Extended Stay America Hotel at 2498 Stearns Street in Simi Valley at 1:45 p.m., according to the Simi Valley department.
He was booked at Ventura County Jail and would likely be extradited to Nevada quickly unless he fights the process in court, a Las Vegas police spokesman said.
According to a Las Vegas Metro Police statement, warrants for War Machine/Koppenhaver included allegations of the following:
1 count Battery Resulting in Substantial Bodily Harm
1 count Battery By Strangulation
2 counts Battery with Substantial Bodily Harm
1 count Open and Gross Lewdness
1 count Assault with
Deadly Weapon1 count Coercion with Use of Force or Threat of Force
Credit: Christy Mack/Twitter
Police in that city allege that the victim sustained “severe” injuries after War Machine beat her and stabbed on the morning of Aug. 8. Las Vegas police say they responded to a residence in the 3400 block of Pueblo Way at 4 a.m. that day based on a report of a domestic dispute.
By the time police arrived, the suspect was gone, according to police and reports. The woman was hospitalized. Another man on site had also been beaten, according to reports, but it's not clear if he received medical attention. Mack said she and her visitor were “fully clothed” when War Machine arrived at the home around 2 a.m. and allegedly turned violent.
Both War Machine and Mack took to Twitter to tell their side of the story, with the porn star posting grotesque photos of her injuries on Twitter.
On that platform she said she suffered 18 broken bones, including a fractured rib, and lost teeth after he allegedly pummeled her face. She said when War Machine arrived he allegedly made her undress and shower before attacking her and threatening to rape her.
Mack said she ended up running for her life and knocking on doors until a neighbor answered and called authorities. She said that she and War Machine had broken up in May.
War Machine disputed that, telling his side via Twitter as he was on the run:
I'm not a bad guy, I went to surprise my gf, help her set up her show and to give her an engagement ring and ended up fighting for my life.
Now he can tell it to the judge.
Send feedback and tips to the author. Follow Dennis Romero on Twitter at @dennisjromero. Follow LA Weekly News on Twitter at @laweeklynews.
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