Ex-WWE Champ Daniel Bryan Tackles Alleged Home Burglar

Former WWE star Daniel Bryan tackled an alleged burglar at his Phoenix home on Thursday night, proving that TV smackdowns might not be fake after all.
Bryan, an ex-WWE World Heavyweight Champion whose real name is (confusingly) Bryan Danielson, told police that he saw two robbery suspects flee his home as he and his wife were returning. Perhaps leaning into his WWE skills, the ex-wrestler was able to chase down and subdue one suspect, Cesar Sosa, until police arrived, reports AZ Central.
Is it OK for homeowners like Danielson to subdue home invaders?
Wrestler Worried About His Dog
In press conference footage provided by Phoenix's KSAZ-TV, Daniel Bryan explained that when he and his wife returned home from the airport and saw a back door was open, their main concern was for their dog:
Bryan was optimistic to note that his neighbor had made a well-timed 911 call when he or she noticed suspicious activity about 10 minutes before the ex-wrestler and his wife arrived home.
Upon seeing the two accused burglars fleeing from his home, Bryan was able to subdue Sosa and detain him until the authorities arrived. According to AZ Central, Sosa had a felony warrant for his arrest for kidnapping and burglary and explained to officers that he and his accomplice had attempted to flee when the burglary was "interrupted."
Sosa's accomplice has not been apprehended as of Monday.
Should You Wrestle a Home Invader?
While chasing down and pinning one of the alleged home invaders worked out for Bryan, is it a good idea, legally speaking, to try to subdue a burglar?
Residential burglaries are typically felonies, so you may be able to perform a citizen's arrest on a suspect who you believe has broken into your home. For such a citizen's arrest, you'll need:
- Probable cause that the suspect committed the burglary,
- To detain the suspect with reasonable and minimum force, and
- To call the police after the suspect is detained.
Unless there is a threat to you or your family's lives, you may not be legally justified in using lethal force to stop a burglar, which thankfully wasn't the case here. Practically, it may be wise to avoid physical confrontation with a home invader unless absolutely necessary; you don't want to put your life at stake.
One more takeaway: WWE wrestler Daniel Bryan isn't just an actor -- this wrestling was real.
Follow FindLaw for Consumers on Facebook and Twitter (@FindLawConsumer).
Related Resources:
- Ex-WWE champ subdues home burglar (New York Post)
- MMA Fighter Fends Off Home Invaders, Killing 1 (FindLaw's Tarnished Twenty)
- Burglars Break Into MMA Gym, Confronted by MMA Fighters (FindLaw's Legally Weird)
- WWE Settles Lawsuit Over Owen Hart Royalties (FindLaw's Celebrity Justice)