In what could only be described as a serious miscalculation, convicted felon Anthony Miranda learned the hard way about choosing the wrong target when he attempted to rob a trained mixed martial artist on Chicago’s Southwest Side years ago.
The incident, which left Miranda bloodied, bruised, and with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, unfolded when he approached a man sitting in a parked car near 55th Street and Kenneth Avenue.
According to police reports, Miranda initially approached the vehicle asking for a lighter. When the car’s occupant couldn’t provide one, Miranda’s intentions quickly turned criminal. He brandished a handgun, pressed it against the victim’s head and threatened, “Look, M.F., it’s a hollow point. I’ll blow your brains out.”
Miranda then ordered the man out of his vehicle – a command that would prove to be his undoing.
What the would-be robber didn’t realize was that his target possessed exceptional combat skills. Police didn’t officially release the victim’s name, but according to sources, the man was Justin Gaethje, an ultimate fighting champion with extensive martial arts expertise.
When Miranda’s attention momentarily wavered, Gaethje seized control of the situation. The two men ended up wrestling on the ground, during which Miranda accidentally discharged his own weapon, shooting himself in the ankle.
Gaethje managed to subdue Miranda, pinning him down until police arrived at the scene. When authorities took Miranda into custody, his face was covered in cuts and both eyes were blackened from the encounter.
Miranda was transported to Holy Cross Hospital for treatment before being charged with armed robbery and aggravated discharge of a firearm, classified as a Class X felony in Illinois. Court records reveal that Miranda has several prior convictions, including at least one for residential burglary.
A judge ordered Miranda held on $350,000 bond following his Sunday court appearance.
The incident serves as a stark reminder that appearances can be deceiving, and in this case, Miranda’s criminal gamble resulted in a painful lesson about the dangers of underestimating strangers.
