A drugged-up axe-wielding lunatic was no match for an MMA-trained Florida man determined to protect his little brother.
Leodan Pino, 18, and his 16-year-old brother were working at an Ocala car wash when Bryce Thayer, 36, approached them “in a threatening manner,” Fox 35 Orlando reported.
“I was locking up all the doors, and I heard some screaming, someone yelling something,” Pino told FOX. “He’s obviously not in the right state of mind. … and that’s when I tell him, ‘You have to leave, man. You got to leave.’”
But Thayer pulled out an axe instead, and that’s when Pino, an MMA-trained military recruit, leapt into action.
“Once he lowered, that’s when I shot the take-down, and I got on top of him, and I controlled the situation,” said Pino, who is trained in mixed martial arts (MMA). “Once I realized he wasn’t letting go, that’s when I threw a couple elbows until he was incapacitated.
“I got him to his back, put him in a body triangle, held a rear naked choke on him, and waited until the cops got there.”
🚨 NEW: An 18-year-old car wash employee trained in jiu-jitsu tackled a man armed with an axe who was threatening people.
Florida deputies say Bryce Thayer, 36, was disarmed and now faces dr*g paraphernalia and aggravated assault charges.pic.twitter.com/A6SX3Yk3vK
— Derrick Evans (@DerrickEvans4WV) March 12, 2026
Thayer had a glass pipe used for methamphetamine and was charged with two counts of felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill, Fox reported.
He was also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and is being held on a $11,000 bond.
Video footage made the rounds on X where Pino and his brother were praised for their brave actions:
Gotta love the good ole boys here in Florida.
— Stoic Wit 📚🤷 (@tleemaxey) March 12, 2026
That’s how it’s done!!! 🙌🙌🙌
— Hilton Hill Homestead 🇺🇸 (@HiltonHillFarms) March 12, 2026
Without intent? Its an axe……..you arent just trying to hurt their feelings with an axe.
— XeenosGaming (@xeenosgaming) March 11, 2026
This teen turned a car wash nightmare into a highlight reel takedown. Jiu-jitsu wins again Props to the kid holding it down!” pic.twitter.com/JoaH8bvaDi
— Big clue (@big_clue_clown) March 11, 2026
Major props!
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