Glen Heggstad sent quite a message to the men that wanted to burglarize his home over the weekend – don’t mess with me!

Heggstad is a 3rd degree black belt under Joe Moreiera, and he started the school Coachella valley BJJ. His book jacket reads:

“Glen Heggstad went from being the youngest Hells Angel ever voted in, to International Martial Arts champion. He has spent the last two decades traveling the world solo from hitchhiking through Ireland to motorcycling the Third World.”

Which brings us to this weekend’s events. Heggstad spends most weekend at his 37 acre ranch. Sunday, San Diego tribune reports, his first door neighbor and friend Phil Nelissen drove to his land to find the gate broken and the trailer parked near Heggstad’s cabin gone.

Squatters had been there recently, there was evidence of a fire. Nelissen notified the police and Heggstad and other neighbors to be on the look out.

Next morning a black pickup was spotted near the cabin. Heggstad jumped into his truck upon learning this and drove to the cabin.

 “I got down there and sure enough, there was this fool asleep in the truck,” which was filled with stolen chain saws, power tools and other things, he said. “Apparently, they were using my brother’s place (he refers to Nelissen as his brother) as a staging area because they had other stolen goods stashed there.”

Heggstad pounded on the door to be greeted with 36 year old Geoffry Brister swinging.

“How do I put this delicately,” Heggstad said. “I exercised self-defense techniques against him. He took a couple of swings and I did, too, probably more than a couple. I took a pocket knife away from him and finished defending myself.”

“In the course of him attacking me, he probably took the worst beating of his lifetime,” he said.

Heggstad said he wasn’t afraid of getting hurt during the altercation. “I was only afraid he might get away,” he said.

The pickup truck stuffed with stolen items from local cabins

About 20 minutes later the Sheriff’s deputies arrived and received information from Heggstad who had been questioning Brister. This lead the LEO to recover a trailer.

Brister was arrested and hospitalized for broken or severly hurt jaw.

“We’ve been able to tie the suspect to at least three or four other burglaries between Palomar Mountain and Big Bear and possibly more,” Ryan said.

Sloth Jiu-Jitsu: The Ultimate Guide for Calmly Beating Bigger, Younger Opponents

💥 What if slowing down was the fastest way to win? 💭 Tired of Getting Smashed by Younger, Stronger Grapplers? It’s not your age. It’s your strategy. If you’re a passionate grappler over 35 who’s sick of getting outpaced, outmuscled, or out-cardio’d by opponents half your age — this 120 page e-book was made for you. 🔓 Unlock the Power of Sloth Jiu-Jitsu:

Build Sustainable Strength—Without Wrecking Your Joints, Energy, or Jiu-Jitsu

Tired of waking up sore and burnt out after lifting? Sloth Strength is a proven blueprint for grapplers over 35 who want to get stronger—without the pain, burnout, or injuries.

Developed from 25 years on the mats, this no-burnout approach is made specifically for BJJ athletes in their 30s, 40s, and beyond.