On February 16^th, Coronado resident Lance Rodgers apprehended a robber at the San Diego Jewelers Exchange using his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu skills.  The suspect has been on San Diego’s most wanted list and was featured on the “San Diego's Most Wanted” television show on Fox 5 San Diego. 

Lance Rodgers is pictured above with his wife Althea and their three children. 

Lance has lived in Coronado for five years and has been training at the Coronado Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy (CBJJ) since it opened in May 2011.  “I have worked in the retail and commercial security management field for fifteen years,” said Lance, “and one day while I was working at my store Precious Time in the San Diego Jewelers Exchange the building manager told me someone in the building resembled a suspect he had seen on ‘America’s Most Wanted.’  After a few minutes, I heard a yell from a neighboring store, Sprint Diamonds, and I ran over to investigate.  The robber had the owner trapped behind a closed door, but I managed to get it open and I apprehended the suspect with a move that I had learned while training at CBJJ called an “Arm Bar.”  Afterwards the police came and took the suspect to jail.  I have been in contact with the FBI and San Diego Police Department and it feels great to have caught the guy.”

The incident will be featured on a follow-up episode of “San Diego's Most Wanted” on March 10^th.

Aaron Hernandez, the head black belt instructor at Coronado Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, said, “We hope to expand our adult and kid classes at CBJJ so that all our students learn the self confidence and techniques that empowered Lance to take control of the robbery situation and subdue a thief until the authorities arrived. That says a lot about the character of a person, that they are willing to help and have the confidence, knowledge, and skills to do so.”  Aaron has been training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu since the age of sixteen and he hopes students achieve “love and passion of the sport, self confidence, self awareness, the ability to defend themselves and others, better health, life long friendships, and the feeling they belong to the Coronado Brazilian Jiu Jitsu family.”

Students practice their Brazilian Jiu Jitsu techniques (above).

Students at CBJJ