Interesting Martial Arts Stories

Side note: Just a quick reminder about all the free stuff inside 'The Martial Arts Vault'; check it out!

From: http://www.kitsapsun.com
(July 10, 2008):

The "karateka", believed to be under the influence of drugs, punched both the 49-year-old bystander and an officer before he was arrested.

From: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
(July 10, 2008):

From: wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=8379436&nav=menu29_10_16
(May 26, 2008):

In Waterbury, Connecticut, a man was strangled after attacking and cutting his estranged wife and pregnant daughter with a samurai sword.

The man arrived at the apartment, armed with a knife. He then confronted his wife and grabbed a samurai sword on the wall, police said. The man was confronted by his daughter and her husband, who tried to wrestle the sword from him.

The 30-year-old woman had fled to Waterbury from Bronx, N.Y., to stay with her stepdaughter and her husband. It is alleged that the deceased man assaulted his wife while they were both living in New York City.

From: http://www.arabnews.com
(May 25, 2008):

From: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080520/en_nm/broadway_dc
(May 20, 2008):

A musical about the late martial arts action hero Bruce Lee will be coming to Broadway. Reportedly, "Bruce Lee: Journey to the West" will be a musical telling of the story of his success in 2010 or 2011.

In a statement from the production's publicists, it says that the Bruce Lee production will track the kung fu superstar's journey using figures from Chinese mythology to follow his quest and The Monkey King, a warrior god, who becomes his heavenly ally.

From: http://news.mainetoday.com/updates/026234.html
(April 29, 2008):

From: http://www.sunderlandecho.com
(April 7, 2008):

From: http://www.metro.co.uk
(March 27, 2008):

China -- "It was your own fault, you should have learned karate!" This, allegedly was the message from a Chinese insurance company to a man a man bitten by two dogs.

The insurance company told him he should have fought the dogs off when he later tried to file a claim. "You would have avoided the problem if you had learned martial arts, like karate," they said.

From: http://dailycamera.com
(March 1o, 2008):

Colorado -- A 55-year-old man with a lengthy criminal record has been arrested Sunday in Boulder for allegedly attempting to kidnap a child from a restaurant back patio.

"It was a classic Bruce Lee karate chop," a witness to the incident said.

From: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,333708,00.html
(February 28, 2008):

Pennsylvania -- The twin brothers have allegedly appeared in hardcore gay-porn online videos. They are now charged with the rooftop burglary of a South Philadelphia business and are also suspected in dozens of similar crimes in at least three states, according to authorities.

One of the twins, who police say is a trained gymnast and karate expert, has used his athleticism to make several daring escapes from police.

From: http://www.theargus.co.uk
(December 14, 2007):

UK -- A 63-year-old nurse, who worked at Moorgreen Hospital in Southampton, failed to turn up for work for two days and then lied to bosses that he had been kidnapped by robbers.

According to reports, he admitted that this had been a lie during subsequent disciplinary proceedings.

The hearing was also told how the nurse performed karate chops in front of shocked colleagues at an aggression management class.

Throughout the course he allegedly demonstrated a series of potentially lethal blows and kicks to students who were supposed to be learning defensive restraints.

From: http://www.timesreporter.com/index.php?ID=76469&r=0
(December 10, 2007):

Ohio -- A 45-year-old man told deputies he was awakened by a knock on the door in the early hours of the morning. When he opened the door, he was attacked by a masked man. After a struggle, the victim was able to get the door shut, but it was kicked in, and the attacker and a second masked man entered the residence.

The victim was forced to the floor, and the intruders demanded money and drugs. The victim gave them $100. While he was being held on the floor, one of the intruders held a .22 caliber rifle on him while the second intruder performed martial arts-type poses. The victim said he realized he knew the man doing the poses.

The man was taken from his residence at gunpoint by two men early Sunday then driven to Carrollton where he was able to escape from his captors, according to a Sheriff's spokesman.

From: http://www.burnleycitizen.co.uk
(December 6, 2007):

UK -- A 39-year-old self-taught kung fu fan who attacked a police officer with moves learned on the internet blamed the TV programme Panorama, a court was told.

He claimed he thought the officer was not allowed to stop and search him and was assaulting him. The attacker, a "law-abiding" loner who has been learning karate from the internet, then set about the officer, putting his martial arts kicks into practice.

When later interviewed, he said he would have incapacitated the victim if he had to. But it was he who was incapacitated by the officer, and a member of public dashed to the officer's aid.

From: http://www.kptv.com/news/14658621/detail.html
(November 21, 2007):

Oregon -- Craig Grover said he and his wife were sleeping Thursday night when they heard someone enter through the front door to their Portland home. Grover said he went into the kitchen to investigate, and that he didn't take the time to get dressed.

"I was 100 percent nude, Grover said. "I approached him from behind and we fought in the kitchen. I didn't have clothes on whatsoever."

Grover said the karate lessons he has taken helped him take down the intruder and hold him captive in the front yard until police arrived.

From: arabtimesonline.com/kuwaitcrime/pagesdetails.asp?nid=8229&ccid=22
(November 18, 2007):

The man said he suspected the behavior of his wife and came home unannounced after midnight to find her with another man.

From: http://www.murfreesboropost.com/news.php?viewStory=6355
(September 8, 2007):

A man expressed worry because his Murfreesboro neighbor was outside waving around a sword. An officer explained to the neighbor he couldn't practice his Ninja skills in his front yard.

The man promised to leave the non-sharpened practice sword inside his home.

From: http://www.nydailynews.com
(September 8, 2007):

A ninja-clad burglar was sent scurrying from a Staten Island kitchen early yesterday when the homeowner stabbed the samurai sneak in the shoulder.

Phil Chiolo said he had just gone to bed when he heard what sounded like a pan hit the kitchen floor about 1 a.m. in his Dongan Hills home.

"When I got into the kitchen, the door was jimmied open," Chiolo said. "To my surprise, there was a man standing there dressed in a ninja costume, with nun-chucks and everything. All I saw was his eyes."

From: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007709080324
(September 8, 2007):

41-year-old Kevin Shelley from Indianapolis is a fourth-degree black belt in taekwondo. He can probably defend himself against a lot: muggers, troublemakers, now even the occasional wayward toilet.

The Carmel personal trainer credited his technique in a successful quest to set a Guinness Book of Records mark by using his head to break 46 wooden toilet seat lids in 60 seconds.

Shelley appeared on a live, German version of the "Guinness World Records" television show last weekend to compete for the world record in breaking "klodeckeln" (wooden toilet seat lids) with his head.

He broke 46 of the lids in 60 seconds; his opponent - a martial arts expert from Hamburg, Germany - broke 41. The previous 60-second record was 30.

From: http://news.yahoo.com
(September 7, 2007):

Colombia -- A robber obviously chose the wrong target when he was beaten and hospitalized in an attempted robbery of a karate school in Bucaramanga in northwestern Colombia.

"The man entered the academy with a firearm, but could not intimidate the dozens of students, who fortunately reacted and disarmed him," a police commander in the province said.

Police arrived at the scene only to take the would-be robber to hospital for treatment of multiple contusions at the hands of the karate students.

From: http://ca.news.yahoo.com
(August 31, 2007):

China's Shaolin Temple has demanded a public apology from an Internet user who claimed a Japanese ninja beat its kung fu-practising monks in a showdown, a lawyer said Friday.

An open letter from the temple posted on the Internet denied the fight ever took place and called on the person who posted the claim under the name "Five minutes every day" to apologize to the temple's martial arts masters.

Monks from the temple said they will consider legal action if he or she doesn't make a public apology.

From: http://www.mailtribune.com
(August 23, 2007):

Three teen members of a self-proclaimed "ninja" group who graduated to burglary after skulking across rooftops and ghosting through people's yards at night were taken into custody Tuesday night. Two 15-year-old boys and one 16-year-old boy were lodged in a juvenile detention center and face multiple charges.

Rogue River police became aware that local youths were involved in the dangerous nocturnal antics early this year when a Grants Pass man called to say his son had friends in Rogue River who were dressing in black costumes, sneaking around at night, and climbing on things. Lewis advised the anonymous caller that such activities were dangerous and possibly illegal.

Over the past several months, the police department has been plagued by calls about the escapades of the so-called ninjas, a spokesman said. Lawn ornaments were removed, wooden sculptures blockaded a driveway, paint cans were tipped over, and black-clad figures were seen on rooftops and in trees.

"In one incident, the word 'ninja' was burned into a man's yard with bleach," the spokesman said. "But I don't think anybody saw them committing crimes."

From: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/08/05/1996929.htm
(August 5, 2007):

Police are investigating how a man's thumb was severed with a sword at Ashfield, in Sydney's inner-west, overnight. The 28-year-old was taken to Sydney Hospital for emergency re-attachment surgery.

Police say they have set up a crime scene outside a pub where the man was found, and also at a nearby apartment complex where it is believed the incident occurred.

Police have been told that the man had been practicing martial arts when his thumb was sliced off.

From: ocregister.com/news/nguyen-santa-police-1790314-park-move
(July 28, 2007):

A poorly executed martial arts move may have led to the death of an 18-year-old man on Friday at a local park, Santa Ana police said.

Passersby called police after they discovered a teenager on the ground at about 8 p.m. at Sandpointe Park. Witnesses said the young man had performed some "extreme martial arts" moves before they found him unconscious and not breathing, a Fire Department spokesman said.

"He went to do one on his head - he kicked while on his head and then collapsed," the spokesman said. "That's how we found him."

From: http://www.people.co.uk
(July 8, 2007):

From: vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2192209/teenager-defends-ps3-samurai
(June 15, 2007):

From: http://www.upi.com
(June 13, 2007):

Police in Italy arrested a Russian man who, dressed as a Japanese ninja warrior, allegedly terrorized rural northern Italy with late-night robberies.

The thief - emulating Japanese ninjas - dressed all in black with a knife strapped to his leg and carrying a bow and arrows had been terrorizing farmers by smashing into their homes and demanding cash and valuables.

A suspect was arrested Monday night when an elderly farmer startled a thief by discharging a rifle. The alleged thief fled on a bicycle but was chased and caught by police in a nearby deserted farmhouse.

Read the rest here (pdf document). Open in new window here.

From: http://www.independent.ie
(May 23, 2007):

A vegetable trader has been arrested on suspicion of killing and beheading at least six of his employees, and dumping four of their torsos outside the high-security Tihar jail in Delhi.

Police said yesterday that the 40-year-old man had confessed to killing the six people in the second grotesque case of serial killing to shock the Indian capital within six months.

The vegetarian trader is said to have killed one man because he would not comply with his request to stop eating meat and another for having an affair with a friend's daughter. Two others were murdered because he believed they were womanisers who drank too much.

Read the rest here (pdf document). Open in new window here.

From: caller.com/news/2007/may/13/police-residents-left-violence-to-tv/
(May 14, 2007):

Texas -- The backstory on a mysterious ninja seen at City Council last month has been uncovered. In a centerspread of a new free publication, The Vent Daily, Mayor Henry Garrett is pictured with said ninja.

The ninja showed up at City Hall on April 24 just as the five-hour meeting was ending. Dressed in a black robe with a mask leaving only his eyes visible, the ninja peered out from behind a column in the City Council chambers for a few minutes before a Corpus Christi Police officer kicked him out.

The photo spread features the ninja at several other Corpus Christi locales and is under the headline 101 things to do in Corpus Christi (Ninja Edition).

Read the rest here (pdf document). Open in new window here.

From: firstcoastnews.com/news/strange/news-article.aspx?storyid=81701
(May 9, 2007):

Florida -- A man dressed like a ninja broke into an Orlando home on Sunday, smashed furniture, attacked two people and then vanished without a trace.

The victims reported that the costumed man slammed the DVD player and VCR into a dresser. Then he pulled out a knife and started waiving it around. The victims say the intruder didn't steal anything from the house but took several pictures with his cell phone camera.

When it was time for the ninja to make his escape, he didn't disappear in a cloud of smoke. The victims say the man ran down the street to a car and drove off.

Read the rest here (pdf document). Open in new window here.

From: http://www.courant.com
(April 26, 2007):

Three high school students has found The Country Market in Higganum tougher to crack than Fort Knox. Police say their target was the store's office. Once inside, they expected to find enough cash to buy a computer. They were familiar with the terrain, since one of them used to work at the store and his mother still does.

Plan A, in which one of them hid inside a sealed cardboard box that was carried, Trojan Horse-like, inside the store by the other two, failed when the would-be burglar burst from the box before the store was empty.

Plan B, four days later, was less subtle: A masked, ninja-wearing, machete- and-baseball-bat waving frontal assault. That didn't work either.

Following the first arrest in the case, there probably won't be a Plan C.

Read the rest here (pdf document). Open in new window here.

From: http://www.wsaw.com/home/headlines/6951017.html
(April 10, 2007):

Read the rest here (pdf document). Open in new window here.

From: http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_2269314.html
(April 2, 2007):

In China, Fu Yingjie pulled the van, weighing more than 1.5 tonnes with the driver, for 13.3 metres. He told media that he used his right nostril to suck one end of a thin line into his stomach.

"Once the line reached my stomach, I used kung fu to lock it with the stomach opening," he said.

Read the rest here (pdf document). Open in new window here.