MMA fighter ‘Mayhem’ Miller remains in jail after SWAT standoff
Mixed martial arts fighter and former MTV reality show host Jason “Mayhem†Miller remains in custody and is scheduled to appear in a jailhouse courtroom next week after barricading himself in his Mission Viejo home and live-tweeting the standoff.
As of Friday morning, Miller, 33, had not posted $200,500 bail and was being held in Orange County Jail’s Intake Release Center. Sheriff’s Department records show his arraignment is scheduled for Tuesday.
Orange County sheriff’s deputies say they went to Miller’s home around 9:50 a.m. Thursday to arrest him on warrants in connection with domestic violence and stalking allegations.
When officers showed up, Miller ran inside the home and refused to come out, said sheriff’s Lt. Mark Kiernan.
Shortly after 2 p.m., SWAT members broke through the front door and Miller ran out of the back door and surrendered, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
Miller’s verified Twitter account included numerous updates about the incident as it happened, telling followers, “If you would like to see this drama unfold, please come†to the address.
In a tweet to the L.A. Times, he said, “It is despicable. They are gearing up like the Bin Laden raidâ€
“I WISH YOU NO HARM,†said one of his accounts other tweets. “I respect the police, but this is overkill, for something that would be settled with one piece of paperwork from OCBAIL.â€
The tweets called the police presence an “absolute waste of resources†and said deputies told Miller they were there to arrest him. “I have not committed any crime,†said another tweet. “Just don’t let them shoot me,†said yet another message.
There were three warrants for a Miller’s arrest, one each for suspicion of domestic violence, criminal contempt and stalking, according to records with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
It wasn’t Miller’s first brush with the law.
He was arrested in 2012 on suspicion of burglary after a pastor at the Mission Viejo Mission Hills Church discovered a break-in and found him sleeping naked on a couch.
The first floor of the church had been ransacked, authorities said, with broken pictures and books everywhere, and spray paint on the walls.
He was evaluated in a hospital ward before being arrested and was later charged with misdemeanor vandalism.
Miller was host of “Bully Beatdown†on MTV and fought in the UFC. His profile on the organization’s website lists his last fight as May 26, 2012.
As for crossing paths with Orange County law enforcement, he has company from at least one other professional fighter.
In 2008, Quinton “Rampage†Jackson, a former UFC light-heavyweight champion, fled Costa Mesa police while driving his lifted pick-up truck painted with his likeness on the side. He eventually surrendered and was sentenced to probation.
During the standoff Thursday, Jackson tweeted that he had tried to communicate to Miller, but got no response.
“Guys I’m trying to help mayhem, but I’m not near him, and he’s not responding to my messages. All I can do now is help him after gives up,†Jackson wrote.
Times staff writers Kate Mather, Joseph Serna and Ryan Parker contributed to this report.
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