An MMA-trained teenager takes down an ax-wielding suspect at a Florida car wash caught on video
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A Florida man allegedly attacked two young brothers at a car wash in Ocala Sunday night, before he was quickly defeated by the older brother, an 18-year-old MMA fighter.
A video released by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office allegedly shows the suspect, later identified as Bryce Thayer, 36, approaching car wash workers Leodan Pino, 18, and his 16-year-old brother, as they were about to close.
Officials said that when Thayer was told to leave the area, he became “angry” and approached the brothers in a “threatening manner” with an ax.
“I was closing all the doors and I heard some people crying, someone yelling,” Pino told FOX 35 Orlando. “… He’s obviously not in the right frame of mind. … He walks up the tunnel, and that’s when I tell him, ‘You gotta go, man. You gotta go.’
Bryce Thayer is accused of threatening workers with an axe. (Marion County Sheriff’s Office)
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Pino said that’s when Thayer allegedly pulled out a sawed-off ax from his bag and pointed it at him.
The footage showed Pino glaring at Thayer, as his younger brother wrestled the ax from him.
“He took him down, that’s when I shot the take-down, I climbed on top of him and controlled the situation,” said Pino, who is trained in mixed karate (MMA). “When I saw that he wasn’t letting me go, that’s when I threw a few elbows, until he got stronger. … I took him to his back, put him in a body triangle, choked him naked from behind and waited until the police got there.”
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Thayer’s photo showed severe facial injuries, said to have occurred during the struggle.
Pino, who recently joined the military, said he “got what he deserved.”
When Thayer was arrested, an investigation revealed that he was in possession of a glass pipe used for methamphetamine, according to the sheriff’s office.
He faces two counts of assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill, and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to jail records. He is being held on $11,000 bond.
A video released by the Marion County Sheriff’s office allegedly shows the suspect talking to two car wash workers. (Marion County Sheriff’s Office)
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Jail records reviewed by Fox News Digital show Thayer has been arrested by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office four times since May 2024, on charges including:
- Possession and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription
- Possession of a controlled substance in a place of detention
- Property damage
- Theft of small animals
- Jumping after a warning
- Possession of cannabis
- Two counts of drug possession
Pino said “he is very thankful that God gave me the opportunity and gave me the strength to be able to control that situation.”
“I’m thankful that I was the one who stopped my brother and no one else because I’m not sure if anyone else I work with could have done what I’m about to do,” he said. “… I’m glad I was able to protect my brother.”
