DUI & Reckless Driving Charges Against BJ Penn Dropped

Ezra Samuel

The state has dropped the DUI and reckless driving charges against the UFC veteran BJ Penn after a summons to appear in court went unserved.

Back in January 2021 in Honokaa, Hawaii, the ‘Prodigy’ was arrested for driving under the influence of intoxicants. He was also driving recklessly and was reportedly shouting towards employees at Honokaa business. When he got escorted while handcuffed, Penn also yelled at the police and the bystanders.

Hours later, the former UFC lightweight champion was released from jail and the charges were dismissed without prejudice upon pending further investigation, which means prosecutors can refile them at a later date.

BJ Penn has not publicly addressed this case yet. However, the 43-year-old has been gathering support on social media for a prospective governorship run.

BJ Penn also had another legal controversy in August 2019 where he got involved in a brawl outside of a bar. The video of him fighting emerged online and went viral. Due to this incident, the UFC president Dana White took the chance to release Penn from the UFC. Penn had a very poor performance as he had 7 consecutive losses since 2011.

In 2020 in his hometown, BJ Penn was involved in a single-car accident and was investigated for DUI after being hospitalized. However, no charges have been filed.

BJ Penn started his professional MMA career in 2001 within the UFC. In 2003 he joined kickboxing promotion ‘K-1’ but later returned to the UFC. He has a professional record of 16 wins, 14 losses, and 2 draws.

Penn is currently running to become the Governor of Hawaii.