MMA fighter Kevin Barkhouse snaps selfie after bringing down alleged thief
MMA fighter Kevin Barkhouse snaps selfie after bringing down alleged thief
MMA fighter Kevin Barkhouse snaps selfie after bringing down alleged thief
Canadian mixed martial artist Kevin Barkhouse has become somewhat of a legend up north after he came face to face with a man that he believes stole his property. Barkhouse took the alleged thief down, pulled out his phone and snapped a selfie which has since gone viral.
Here’s how it all went down according to a report from CTVNews.
“I was just heading off to drop one of my daughters off at daycare and was heading up to Silver Star to go (snow) boarding,” he said when he noticed some of his stuff scattered on the truck’s seats and on the floor.
His snowboarding jacket, copies of which he says he had never seen on anyone else, had distinctive white zippers.
After rushing back inside to cancel his credit cards and report the theft to police, a friend suggested he make his way around local pawn shops to see if any of his stuff had ended up in their hands.
Barkhouse later went out with his brother and as the two men were driving, he saw a man wearing what appeared to be the jacket that had gone missing.
“It was a complete fluke that I looked over and saw this guy on the payphone and he had this black coat with white zippers,” he said, adding that there was another man standing next to the man in the jacket.
Barkhouse and his brother pulled over and started chatting with the two men and relayed his story of having his truck ransacked.
The man, whose jacket was the same brand as Barkhouse’s, informed him he had gotten it from Value Village.
Barkhouse and his brother didn’t buy the story and asked if they wouldn’t mind emptying their bags just to make sure none of his stuff was in it.
The pair complied until they got near the bottom of the bag, where they both started taking their time and slowing down.
Frustrated by the delay, Barkhouse grabbed the bag and reached in only to pull out his wallet.
“I just grabbed the bag, reached in and first thing I pulled out was my wallet. I said to my brother, ‘Hey, look at my wallet,'” he said.
The man holding the bag started backing up, while the other man took off.
Barkhouse proceeded to take down the man for a citizen’s arrest and restrain him until police arrived.
But before that happened, he asked his brother to hand him his phone so he could show friends how he had found his stolen goods.
“It felt good that I got him, I wasn’t trying to gloat. I felt awesome,” he said when asked why he took a selfie. “The picture was really for me to send to my buddies and my family,” he said.
He only decided to share it around when he heard other tales of cars being broken into in the city and thought his tale could bring a smile to those who also had possessions stolen.
He says he’s received an outpouring of support and some criticism, which he shrugs off.
“Something bad could’ve happened but it didn’t and I’m living it up now,” he said.
A 25-year-old man is now facing three charges if theft, but police recommend not trying to detain a possible suspect — advice Barkhouse admits is correct.
“I acted before I was thinking. Now, I probably shouldn’t have done it,” he said. “I don’t suggest anyone do it just in case.”
Barkhouse has four mixed martial arts on record, all wins. His last documented fight was more than 11 years ago in 2005.
