'War Machine' arrested in Simi Valley hotel for Christy Mack assault

'War Machine' manhunt ends, MMA fighter arrested

By Dan WhitcombReuters

12:55 a.m. EDT, August 17, 2014

A professional fighter sought by authorities after his former girlfriend accused him of attacking her and a friend at her home in Las Vegas has been arrested in the Los Angeles area, officials said on Friday.

Jonathan Koppenhaver, also known by the name "War Machine" for his time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, was taken into custody at a hotel in the Los Angeles suburb of Simi Valley by U.S. Marshals and local police on Friday afternoon, the Simi Valley Police Department said in a statement.

Inside the room, officers found some money and pizza. Marshals turned the fighter over to police for booking, and he was transported to the Ventura County Jail, the statement said.

Police have not released the names of the alleged victims in the case but Koppenhaver's ex-girlfriend, porn actress Christy Mack, said on Twitter that she suffered 18 broken facial bones, a broken nose and rib and had her liver ruptured.

Mack, who posted photos of her injuries on social media, said Koppenhaver entered her Las Vegas home about 4 a.m. while she was with a friend, and immediately attacked the pair. She claims, amongst other things, Koppenhaver beat both of them, forced her to strip naked and shower in front of him, threatened to rape her and "sawed off" much of her hair with a "dull knife."

“He made me undress and shower in front of him, then dragged me out and beat my face,” she wrote. “I have no recollection of how many times I was hit, I just know my injuries that resulted from my beating. My injuries include 18 broken bones around my eyes, my nose is broken in 2 places, I am missing teeth and several more are broken. I am unable to chew, or see out of my left eye.

“I also attained several lesions from a knife he got from my kitchen,” she continued. “He pushed the knife into me in some areas such as my hand, ear, and head. He also sawed much of my hair off with this dull knife. After some time, the knife broke off of the handle and continued to threaten me with the blade. I believed I was going to die. He has beaten me many times before, but never this badly.”

Koppenhaver responded to the allegations in a series of tweets on his verified Twitter account:

"I'm not a bad guy, I went to surprise my gf, help her set up her show and to give her an engagement ring and ended up fighting for my life," he posted.

"The cops will never give me fair play, never believe me. Still deciding what to do but at the end of the day it's all just heart breaking."

"I only wish that man hadn't been there and that Christy & I would behappily engaged.I don't know y I'm so cursed.One day truth will come out."

Meanwhile Dog the Bounty Hunter, whose show about chasing fugitives is carried on the A&E channel, said in a series of tweets that he and his bounty-hunting team were going to help Las Vegas authorities hunt down Koppenhaver.

Time is up! BEWARE OF THE DOG," one tweet read.

It was not clear if the television star played any role in Koppenhaver's capture.

Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion company that sponsored Koppenhaver, cut ties with him after news of the assault surfaced, citing a zero-tolerance policy for domestic violence.

Mack, who now makes her home in Las Vegas, was born in Chicago Heights, according to IMDB and interviews Mack has given to other media.