War Machine arrested in California

War Machine’s flight from charges he beat down his on-again, off-again girlfriend, porn star Christy Mack, ended in a California hotel where he was found alone with some cash and pizza.

Jonathan Koppenhaver, who is also known as War Machine, was arrested by the Nevada Fugitive Investigative Strike Team, or FIST, led by U.S. marshals, with Simi Valley police, Friday afternoon after a weeklong, two state manhunt for the mixed martial artist.

Koppenhaver fled Las Vegas after the assault Aug. 8 and was found at the Extended Stay America Hotel in Simi Valley, a city northwest of Los Angeles where he used to live, authorities said.

The arrest immediately drew praise from one of Mack’s friends, prominent adult film star and native Las Vegan Jenna Jameson, who was also in a violent relationship with a mixed martial artist in the past.

“Thank god the coward “warmachine” has been caught and detained by US Marshall’s in Simi Valley! #justiceforchristy,” Jameson posted on Twitter Friday afternoon.

Officers found Koppenhaver about 1:45 p.m. He had a small amount of cash and pizza in the room with him.

“This is yet another example of how our joint agency efforts are apprehending fugitives who think they can hide,” Nevada U.S. Marshal Christopher Hoye said in a statement.

Las Vegas police said Koppenhaver attacked Mack, 23, and her friend Corey Thomas in her home near the Las Vegas National golf course about 1:30 a.m. Aug. 8. Koppenhaver burst into the home and accused Mack of cheating on her and began assaulting Thomas, according to a police report.

Koppenhaver choked and punched Thomas for nearly 10 minutes before telling him to leave and instructing Thomas not to call police, according to the report. Koppenhaver told Thomas his friends would kill him if he ended up in jail, according to the report.

Mack dialed 911 while Thomas was being attacked and then hid the phone.

After Thomas left, Koppenhaver turned his anger towards Mack, the report said.

He began punching her as they went into a bathroom before he forced her to take a shower, according to the report.

Mack ended up on the floor, where Koppenhaver groped her and threatened to rape her, she told police.

Koppenhaver began searching through her social media accounts on her phone and punched or kicked her when he came across a post that angered him, according to the report.

He then threatened Mack with a dull knife, holding it to her head before he went into the kitchen, alluding he was getting a sharper knife “to finish the job,” the report said. She used that chance to escape out the back door and alert neighbors.

Mack suffered myriad injuries from the assault. Both of her eyes were swollen shut. She suffered a “blow out fracture” of her left eye and several other broken bones in her face, two missing teeth, a lacerated liver, broken ribs and serious bruising in several places.

“I believed I was going to die,” Mack said on social media earlier this week. “He has beaten me many times before but never this badly.”

She also tweeted out photos of her injuries.

Koppenhaver posted a series of messages Aug. 9 on Mack’s Twitter account saying he was shocked at what happened.

“I love you and hope you’re okay. I cam him (sic) early to surprise you and help you set up for your convention. I can’t believe what I found and can’t believe what happened. All I wanted was to surprise you and help and do something nice now this. I’m so heart broke in all ways. I will always love you,” he said.

Late Sunday night, Koppenhaver took to Twitter for his last social media post before police arrested him.

“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. 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(sic) engaged. I don’t know y I’m so cursed. (One) day truth will come out.”

Koppenhaver was booked into the Ventura County Jail and is awaiting extradition to Nevada.

Mack has been discharged from Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, a hospital employee said.