UFC fighter Henry Cejudo helps stop driver who crashed car into Phoenix home
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A UFC fighter happened to be at the right place at the right time to help stop a suspect who drove his car into a Phoenix home, attacked a person and tried to run away from the scene.
The crash happened on Friday night. Phoenix police were called to a collision near 18th Street and Berridge Lane, just north of Bethany Home Road. Police say the driver, 22-year-old Angel Cota, allegedly crashed his car into the home and tried to leave the area before being confronted by people inside the house.
That’s when Cota reportedly assaulted one of the people from the home before being stopped by UFC fighter and Olympic wrestler Henry Cejudo. Officers later took Cota into custody once they arrived on scene.
A video posted to Cejudo’s Instagram account shows the aftermath of the crash. Cejudo describes the scene, saying he was coming out with his producer when he saw a car speeding and heard a screech before the driver crashed into his neighbor’s home.
Cejudo says the driver tried to leave and assaulted his neighbor, and that’s when he stepped in to stop the suspect. “Pretty much the neighbors all came in to fight the situation,” said Cejudo.
Cejudo said he lifted and dropped the suspect and controlled him with one arm.
“Triple C” sprang into action in gold silk pajamas after witnesses say the driver punched the homeowner while trying to flee the scene.
“Ended up dropping him, lifting him, dropping him. Stepped him around a little bit and pretty much controlled him with one arm honestly. So, he wasn’t that tough,” said Cejudo.
He estimates the car was going as fast as 80 mph around the curve of his residential road when he heard it fly through a front yard, slam into cement blocks, and land in his neighbor’s bedroom.
“So, the car was literally on top of the bed. It caught that much wind, so it jumped a couple times,” he said.
Cejudo told Arizona’s Family it could have been much worse, and he’s glad everyone survived. He thinks it would be a much different story if this had happened just a few hours earlier when there was a neighborhood block party with lots of kids, and he’s happy he was in the right place at the right time to intervene until police arrived.
“Next thing you know I hear a large thump, boom! Felt like a thunderstorm,” he said.
Cejudo said this brought the neighborhood together. Everyone stepped up to protect each other during the scuffle. Now, he says they’re discussing ways to make their community safer, and he thinks adding speed bumps would help.
Phoenix Police say Cota was booked into jail and faces charges of driving under the influence and assault.
Cejudo’s family relocated to Arizona, where he attended Maryvale High School and graduated from Grand Canyon University. He currently competes in the Bantamweight division of UFC and is a former UFC Flyweight Champion and Bantamweight Champion.
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