A teenager is being hailed for using his training in mixed martial arts and jiu-jitsu to quickly subdue a man he believed to be trying to steal his car, and it was all caught on surveillance video.
18-year old Gavin Archer was working at the 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu gym in Indianapolis on Monday when he noticed a man looking into the cars in the parking lot, according to the gym’s owner, Ian Pomfret.
‘He was able to minimize the strikes that were being thrown at him by judo tossing the man to the ground, securing the man’s back, and choking him unconscious.’
Pomfret posted video of the exchange that followed from the surveillance cameras inside the gym.
Archer went to the front door and interacted with the man before he was attacked. Archer reacted quickly and used his skill to drop the man to the ground. After that, he choked him until he went unconscious.
“Due to [Gavin]’s years of martial arts & Jiu jitsu training, he was able to minimize the strikes that were being thrown at him by judo tossing the man to the ground, securing the man’s back, and choking him unconscious to eliminate the immediate threat of danger so he could call the police,” wrote Pomfret.
The video on the owner’s Instagram account garnered more than 13k likes and was published by WRTV-TV on its news report on YouTube.
Archer told WISH-TV that he plans to press charges because the man allegedly attacked him.
‘THIS is why Jiu Jitsu saves lives. Imagine if [Gavin] had no training at all when this man attacked him. He could be seriously hurt or dead.’
“This dude apparently has attacked someone before. I hope this man gets the help he needs,” said Archer. “Without this gym and training who knows what would have happened.”
WISH also spoke to the man who was accused of trying to steal cars. He said that he works at an auto body shop business near the gym and the altercation was a misunderstanding.
“I took a stand, raised my voice a little bit and took a step like, ‘Hey, listen to me.’ He took a step back and pushed the gym door open the rest of the way, which in that situation looked like he was coming toward me next, so I just reacted and went after him,” said Andrew Wilkerson.
Wilkerson said he had been trying to get into a car because it fit the description of a car that they had been hired to repair. He accuses Archer of escalating the situation, which the teen denies.
Whomever attacked first, Pomfret used the occasion to encourage people about the benefits of martial arts training.
“THIS is why Jiu Jitsu saves lives. Imagine if [Gavin] had no training at all when this man attacked him. He could be seriously hurt or dead,” he continued.
Pomfret had a final piece of advice for parents.
“Find a Jiu Jitsu school and enroll yourself or your kiddos in it IMMEDIATELY. You never know what could happen tomorrow,” he concluded.
Archer had a biblical scripture quote from the book of John on his account, and added, “Jesus is king.”
Wilkerson no longer works at the auto repair shop.
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