Judo Club Puts Hold on Alleged Carjacker

A 20-year-old Los Angeles man was arrested Sunday on suspicion of carjacking and kidnapping after a series of alleged crimes that ended when he tried to take the minivan of a university judo club and was forced into submission.

After he was treated for minor injuries, Tyrone Hogan was being held on $1.2-million bail, said LAPD Sgt. Alan Hamilton of the Hollywood Division.

The alleged crimes--which included a carjacking, a mugging and a kidnapping--concluded at a gas station at Santa Monica Boulevard and Highland Avenue when Hogan tried to carjack a vehicle that carried a judo club from Florida International University, authorities said.

“He was detained, to say the least,” Hamilton said. A bloodied Hogan was treated at the scene and taken to Los Angeles police headquarters downtown.

The events began around 1:30 p.m. when Hogan allegedly carjacked a man and woman outside their Hollywood-area home in the 1100 block of Gordon Street, Hamilton said.

After pulling the man out of the vehicle, Hamilton said, Hogan got into the driver’s seat and drove off with the woman inside.

Hogan tried unsuccessfully to grab the woman’s purse, Hamilton said. Hogan then forced the woman out of the vehicle while it was still moving, officials said.

Hamilton said police soon received a 911 call from a Mobil gas station. Hamilton said Hogan had apparently pulled into the station to grab another vehicle.

Hogan tried to take a beige minivan that contained the judo club, which was in town to teach a class in Long Beach, officials said. The club had just completed a tour of Hollywood and was about to head to Los Angeles International Airport, Hamilton said.

Hogan asked a member of the coed judo club for money and then became involved in a struggle with some of the others as he tried to get the minivan, Hamilton said.

It was then, police said, that several members of the judo club used their skills to restrain Hogan.

“We had this guy like a pretzel on the ground,” said Nestor Bustillo, the club’s judo instructor. Team members placed Hogan in what Bustillo called a body hold.

“Judo team, 1; carjacker, 0,” Hamilton said.

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Associated Press contribued to this report.