SERVING BEATDOWNS! Black Belt IHOP Employee Takes down a Would Be Robber, Thanks the Restaurant for Helping Him Get His Life Back

Twenty-two year old Elijah Arnold took down an alleged robber early Thursday morning at an IHOP restaurant on the northwest side.



"I just heard the register popping ...I stepped out and looked and there he was pulling the register out and everything so I just took off, my instinct kicked in and I took off full speed at him," Arnold said.



He says the man hit him with a crow bar, but he was able to get him into a submission hold thanks to his training as a third degree black belt in mixed martial arts.



"He tries to start apologizing and, 'man I'm so sorry. I know I hit you. I know I'm trying to steal your money, but just give it to me. I need it really bad' and everything like that," he said.



Arnold says in some ways he could relate. After working at IHOP for four years, he went down the wrong path and ended up homeless and addicted to drugs.



"That's kind of when everything went down the drain," he said.



Since then, he's cleaned up his life and IHOP gave him a second chance. He says that's another reason he was so quick to act.



"When I walked up to my managers today...they just congratulated me and said thank you and that was the biggest thing that I could have was the thank you from my managers," he said.