Ivan Skoko, a 29-year-old martial artist, recounted an incident he witnessed around 9 h on 5/12 in the Moorgate station area of London, shortly after finishing his workout.
A 14-year-old girl screamed that a man had touched her inappropriately as she walked home. Two brave teenagers intervened, pushing the man to stop him, but he threatened to hit them. One teenager was punched, but the blow missed.
After asking what happened, Ivan approached and took down the man with a single leg sweep, then used his knee to pin him to the ground. Ivan prevented the two teenagers from attacking the man and asked the girl (who was recording a video) to call the police.
When authorities arrived, Ivan provided his personal information to them before leaving the scene.
Ivan is a Jiu-Jitsu champion, having won the British Open 2025, NAGA London 2025, and IBJJF London Fall Open 2025 tournaments in the adult black belt category. He runs Jiu-Jitsu classes at a gym in the Elephant and Castle area, south London.
This incident occurred just over a month after Ivan helped apprehend a pickpocket suspect who was carrying a hammer as a weapon at Borough station. He also used a leg sweep to take down that suspect and pinned him to the station floor until the police arrived.
Despite being praised as the "Batman of London", actions by individuals like Ivan to apprehend or detain criminals without legal authority are illegal in England, as they constitute vigilantism. Such actions can lead to other offenses, including assault, false imprisonment, theft, entrapment, and breach of the peace.
Tue Anh (according to The Sun, Daily Mail)
