Reality television star Duane Chapman, better known as Dog the Bounty Hunter, said Wednesday he was joining the manhunt for a professional mixed martial artist whose ex-girlfriend has accused him of a brutal attack on her and a friend.
Jonathan Koppenhaver, also known by the name "War Machine" for his time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, is wanted by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department for questioning in connection with the Aug. 8 attack.
Photo: Christy Mack injuries
A composite photo posted to Christy Mack's Twitter account on August 11 showing injuries alleged in a note accompanying the photos to have been caused by her ex-boyfriend Jon Koppenhaver, also known by his MMA fighting name, "War Machine." (@ChristyMack)
Police have not released the names of the two victims but Koppenhaver's former girlfriend, porn actress Christy Mack, said on Twitter that she he suffered 18 broken facial bones, a broken nose and rib and had her liver ruptured.
Dog the Bounty Hunter, whose show about chasing fugitives is carried on the A&E channel, said in a series of tweets that he and his bounty-hunting team were going to help Las Vegas authorities hunt down Koppenhaver.
“War Machine better to give all your excuses to the judge,” Chapman tweeted. “You got 24 hours to turn yourself in or I am coming after you!”
"Time is up! BEWARE OF THE DOG," another tweet read.
Mack, who posted photos of her injuries on social media, said Koppenhaver entered her Las Vegas home about 4 a.m. while she was with a friend, and immediately attacked the pair. She claims, amongst other things, Koppenhaver beat both of them, forced her to strip naked and shower in front of him, threatened to rape her and "sawed off" much of her hair with a "dull knife."
“He made me undress and shower in front of him, then dragged me out and beat my face,” she wrote. “I have no recollection of how many times I was hit, I just know my injuries that resulted from my beating. My injuries include 18 broken bones around my eyes, my nose is broken in 2 places, I am missing teeth and several more are broken. I am unable to chew, or see out of my left eye.
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“I also attained several lesions from a knife he got from my kitchen,” she continued. “He pushed the knife into me in some areas such as my hand, ear, and head. He also sawed much of my hair off with this dull knife. After some time, the knife broke off of the handle and continued to threaten me with the blade. I believed I was going to die. He has beaten me many times before, but never this badly.”
Koppenhaver faces felony charges of domestic battery with substantial bodily harm, assault with a deadly weapon and battery by strangulation, police said. It's not the first time Koppenhaver has been in trouble with the law — he was arrested in 2009 on domestic violence charges.
Koppenhaver responded to the allegations in a series of tweets on his verified Twitter account:
"I'm not a bad guy, I went to surprise my gf, help her set up her show and to give her an engagement ring and ended up fighting for my life," he posted.
"The cops will never give me fair play, never believe me. Still deciding what to do but at the end of the day it's all just heart breaking."
"I only wish that man hadn't been there and that Christy & I would behappily engaged.I don't know y I'm so cursed.One day truth will come out."
Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion company that sponsored Koppenhaver, cut ties with him after news of the assault surfaced, citing a zero-tolerance policy for domestic violence.
Mack, who now makes her home in Las Vegas, was born in Chicago Heights, according to IMDB and interviews Mack has given to other media.
-Reuters and Tribune staff contributed