UFC legend B.J. Penn was arrested again after he violated a court-ordered restraining order filed against him by his mother.
Police in Hawaii confirmed Penn was arrested for the fifth time this year and eventually released on bail on Monday.
“Hawaii Island police arrested and charged 46-year-old Jay Dee ‘B.J.’ Penn of Hilo, for violating a court order for protection,” Hawaii police said in a statement.
“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.”
Penn has found himself in jail numerous times this year after he was initially taken into custody on two different occasions for abuse of a family or household member.
He was then arrested two more times for violating a restraining order, which was just recently put into place for a full year after a judge ruled that the former UFC lightweight and welterweight champion must have no contact with his mother and stay at least 100 yards away from her residence at all times.
Lorraine Shin, Penn’s mother, initially filed for the restraining order after her son’s arrests on the abuse allegations following altercations between them at home.
Shin accused Penn of “extreme psychological abuse” after he began claiming that his family had been “killed” and replaced with imposters. The approved restraining order runs through May 26, 2026, which is one year after Shin initially sought protection against her son.
The disturbing allegations against Penn started after Shin claimed she returned home from a trip and found all of her belongings removed from her bedroom. Penn denied any involvement in the missing property. A few days later, Shin claimed her purse was stolen from a safe and that led to her making a theft report with police.
Prior to filing for the restraining order, Shin told police she returned home from a separate trip and found that Penn had allegedly put duct tape over her security cameras and glue into the deadbolt lock on her bedroom door to prevent her from entering. Shin later accused Penn of stealing her mail and when she claims she found the mail in the back of a vehicle that belonged to one of her son’s friends, the 46-year-old fighter denied it was her mail and allegedly grabbed her arms and shoved her against the car, which led to his mother screaming at the top of her lungs for her son Reagan Penn to help her.
Penn was eventually arrested and told to stay away from his mother for the next 48 hours, but Shin claims he returned to the home and she presented video evidence as proof to police, which led to Penn’s second arrest in as many days.
“I believe my son [B.J. Penn] 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),” Shin told police when filing for the restraining order. “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.”
This latest incident ended without any physical altercation but once again Penn was arrested and charged with violating the restraining order before being released on bail.
