On the violent streets of Chicago, it often seems like you need a gun to protect yourself or others. And sometimes, that’s true.
For Idriz Redzovic, however, all he needed was a black belt.
Redzovic is going viral after he used his jiujitsu skills to put a thug who allegedly punched a 7-Eleven clerk in a so-called “gift-wrap hold” until authorities were able to arrest him.
(Here at The Western Journal, we continue to point out the value of responsible self-defense — and why that often involves gun ownership and concealed carry. Yet, liberals are doing their best to chip away at both. We’ll continue to advocate for your ability to defend yourself. You can help us by subscribing.)
According to the Washington Examiner, the incident happened at roughly 10:15 p.m. on June 16.
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The alleged clerk-puncher, identified as 30-year-old Christopher Cruz, hit the employee after he stole from the store.
Police said Cruz, after harassing a woman outside, entered the convenience store on Chicago’s North Side and stole food items, then walked out, according to WFLD-TV.
The Chicago Fox affiliate reported that Redszovic “owns the Supreme Academy of Jiu-Jitsu in Lincoln Park” and “has 22 years of training and is a 3rd-degree Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt.”
He’d gone to the store to buy Slurpees for his kids when he noticed the man harassing people.
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“He comes up to me and says, ‘what are you looking at?’” Redzovic told WFLD.
“In my training, I tell people to take a step back, hands up, don’t engage unless you feel safe.”
He said he continued to watch Cruz when he went inside — and when Cruz allegedly punched the 7-Eleven clerk, Redzovic told WFLD he sprang into action.
“Once I saw him actually connect and hit the employee in his head, I jumped in, grabbed him like I do in training here, put him down, flattened him like a pancake and then I tied him up like a pretzel in a position called ‘Gift Wrap’ or ‘Twisting Arm Control,’” Redzovic told the station.
What happened next was streamed on Facebook Live by Redzovic:
WARNING: The following video contains graphic language that some viewers will find offensive.
“Come on man,” Cruz can be heard saying on the 18-minute video, asking to be let go.
“No, I’m not letting you go, you were harassing those girls and then you swung at that 7-Eleven employee,” Redzovic replied.
After 13 minutes, Chicago police arrived and arrested Cruz, according to a police report. He’s now charged with misdemeanor counts of battery and retail theft.
Not only did Redzovic keep the 7-Eleven employees and patrons safe, he says, he also kept Cruz safe.
“I controlled, and I wrapped up his hands — so I’m safe and he’s safe,” Redzovic told WFLD.
“I wasn’t sitting on him. I put my foot up, and if you notice, there’s no weight on him.”
And as for the danger to himself, Redzovic said he felt obligated to get involved and defend the convenience-store clerk.
“I feel like it’s my duty as a human on this planet to help another human in danger,” he told the station.
“It could’ve gone two ways. The employee could have took him down also and pounded his face and beat him up.”
He also said there was a lesson in this, one he’s seen firsthand as the owner of a jiujitsu academy.
“Sometimes people come to us after something happens to learn self-defense, Redzovic said. “Why not learn it now?”
