Former UFC two-division champion B.J. Penn was arrested Tuesday by Hawaii police and charged for violating a restraining order filed against him by his mother. It marked Penn’s fifth arrest since late May, with his prior arrests all relating to Penn’s ongoing dispute with his mother amid Penn’s claims that his family has been murdered and replaced with imposters.
Penn was arrested without incident and has since posted $2,000 bailed.
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Hawaii police released the following statement Tuesday night:
Hawai‘i Island police arrested and charged 46-year-old Jay Dee “BJ” Penn of Hilo, for violating a court order for protection.
At 4:03 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 15, 2025, Hilo patrol officers responded to a report of a violation in the area of Puueo Street in Hilo. Upon arrival, officers determined that Penn had entered a property in violation of the terms of a court order for protection in which he is the respondent.
Penn was later located in the area and arrested without incident. On Tuesday, Sept. 16, he was charged with violating the order for protection. His bail was set at $2,000, which he later posted.
Police ask anyone with information regarding this incident to contact Hilo Patrol Officer Elieser Quinones at elieser.quinones@hawaiicounty.gov.
Judge Jeffrey Ng granted Penn’s mother, Lorraine Shin, a one-year protection order against the UFC Hall of Famer in late August, which prevents her son from contacting her in any form prior to May 26, 2026. Shin, 79, proved her claim of “domestic abuse and/or extreme psychological abuse” during the court proceedings and alleged that Penn suffers from a rare psychological disorder known as Capgras syndrome, which causes him to believe that his family members have been replaced by imposters.
Penn, 46, was arrested on back-to-back days on May 25 and May 26, then again on May 30 and June 12 on charges that include abuse of a family or household member.
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Penn has made multiple posts to his social media accounts over the past several months in which he alleges his family members have been replaced by imposters, with a particular focus on his mother.
In Shin’s initial request for a restraining order, she alleged a disturbing pattern of behavior from her son. After returning from a trip in early May, Shin said she noticed many of her belongings “such as clothes, shoes, jewelry, personal items” and even her bed had all been removed from her bedroom. Shin filed a police report after Penn denied taking the items, she said, and a few days later her purse “with my driver’s license, credit card and locks for my safe” were also stolen.
Shin said she then put up security cameras inside and outside the home, while also installing a deadbolt lock on her bedroom door. According to Shin, Penn took down or tampered with the cameras and “also put glue into my dead bolts that stopped me from opening my bedroom door.”
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Shin claimed Penn then stole her mail and aggressively shined a flashlight in her face on the night of May 25 when confronted. In order to prevent her from calling the police, Shin claimed Penn “grabbed my arms and shoved me against the 4-door gray sedan, which I felt a sharp pain in my back,” resulting in her screaming for Penn’s younger brother, Reagan, to come help. Penn was ultimately arrested and ordered to stay away from his mother’s home for 48 hours, however Shin claimed she caught Penn breaking into her home again the following day. As a result, Penn was again arrested for violating the police order.
Penn has trials scheduled in late October and early November.
Penn last fought in the UFC in 2019, suffering his seventh consecutive loss. He was later released by the UFC after a video was released showing Penn in a street fight outside a Hawaii bar.
