When an AB MMA Jiu-Jitsu Instructor Saved a San Francisco Police Officer
On April 13, 2011, a routine Muni fare inspection near our academy on San Bruno Avenue turned violent. According to police, a 23-year-old man who was trying to avoid a fare-evasion citation attacked a San Francisco police officer, hitting him several times in the head and face.
Pedro Arrigoni, then a 24-year-old Portola resident, had just finished teaching a class at AB Mixed Martial Arts Academy, at 2975 San Bruno Ave. He saw what was happening and stepped in.
Control, not violence
Instead of throwing punches, Pedro did what Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu teaches: he took control. Police said he put the attacker in a choke hold and forced him to submit. As Pedro told reporters at the time, when the man was about to pass out, he said: “I give up, I give up.” The officers then took him into custody. He was booked for assault on a police officer and resisting arrest, and the officer suffered minor injuries.
“I don’t hit people, I don’t box. I do Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Once you have the guy under your control, you don’t have to do anything more.”
Pedro Arrigoni to the San Francisco Examiner, April 2011
“You are our hero.”
The letters started arriving within days. On April 18, 2011, Captain Paul Chignell wrote on behalf of the men and women of the San Francisco Police Department assigned to San Francisco International Airport: “We applaud you for your assistance to an officer in need the other day. You are our hero.”
A week later, on April 25, 2011, California State Senator Mark Leno wrote to thank Pedro “for your heroic turn in the altercation involving your supportive actions with the San Francisco Police as mentioned in the San Francisco Examiner,” adding that “it is through the courage and selflessness of people like you that the world becomes a brighter place for all.” He signed off by hand: “Bravo Pedro!”
Recognized by the San Francisco Police Department
On May 25, 2011, San Francisco Chief of Police Gregory P. Suhr awarded Pedro a Certificate of Appreciation “in deepest gratitude for your performance of outstanding service to the cause of law enforcement on April 13, 2011,” adding that “such an example of dedication is worthy of the highest esteem by the San Francisco Police Department.”
Honored by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors
A month later, on June 28, 2011, the Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco issued Pedro a Certificate of Honor, signed by Supervisors David Campos and Malia Cohen along with other members of the Board. It recognizes him “for training community members in the art of self-defense; for bravely intervening on behalf of another and demonstrating the importance of discipline, respect, and non-violence.”
Other recognition
Pedro also received these from the law-enforcement community in thanks for stepping in that day.
Why it matters
The story was covered by the San Francisco Examiner and picked up by jiu-jitsu and law-enforcement outlets, including GracieMag, BJJEE and Police1. Pedro’s point at the time still guides how we teach today: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a restrained way to handle a dangerous situation. It lets a trained person stop a threat without striking, and he believed every San Francisco police officer should train it.
That is the same mindset we bring to every class at AB MMA. We teach self-defense that is calm, controlled and responsible. The goal is always to keep people safe, including the person you are defending yourself from.
Read the original coverage
- The San Francisco Examiner (print edition, April 2011): “Jiu-jitsu instructor saves officer during pummeling,” by Mike Aldax
- GracieMag: Jiu-Jitsu instructor saves police officer in San Francisco
- BJJEE
- Police1: Video: Jiu-jitsu teacher saves attacked SF cop
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