Police: MMA Fighter 'War Machine' Found Hiding In Simi Valley Motel After Beating Girlfriend

SIMI VALLEY (CBSLA.com) — Jonathan "War Machine" Koppenhaver was found holed up in a Simi Valley motel Friday and arrested in connection with the beating of his former girlfriend, adult-film star Christy Mack.

The U.S. Marshal's Service and officers from Simi Valley police arrested the 32-year-old former mixed martial arts fighter about 1:45 p.m. Friday at the Extended Stay America Hotel, 2498 Stearns St.

Officers found a small quantity of cash, his passport and some pizza, and took Koppenhaver, a former resident of Simi Valley, into custody without further incident.

Kopppenhaver had several warrants out for his arrest after Mack reported he showed up at her Las Vegas home last Friday and beat her, breaking more than a dozen facial bones, knocking out and damaging several teeth and fracturing a rib. Police said he also ruptured her liver.

Mack also tweeted that Koppenhaver also assaulted her friend.

Witnesses told KCAL9's Brittney Hopper they saw police with their guns out and the MMA fighter in handcuffs. They also said he was "angry and sweaty."

People who say they saw the arrest said police used a stun gun on Koppenhaver, but they would not confirm that to Hopper.

Nicole Blankenship was staying at the hotel two floors up from Koppenhaver. She ran down when she heard commotion.

"They had riot shields and guns and a battering ram. They were all in tactical gear," she said.

He had taken to Twitter to defend himself while on the run. He tweeted: "The cops will never give me fair play, never believe me. Still deciding what to do but at the end of the day it's all just heart breaking."

Witnesses told Hopper that before the arrest, Koppenhaver was fighting with another woman in his hotel room.

They said he was screaming and it sounded like furniture was being thrown around.

Koppenhaver is in the Ventura County Jail and will be transferred to Las Vegas.