MMA fighter foils robbery, hogties bank robber

It was just an ordinary day for Eric Haritakis as he went to the Grow Financial Federal Credit Union to deposit the day's receipts from…

By: Nate Wilcox | 8 years ago
MMA fighter foils robbery, hogties bank robber
Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

It was just an ordinary day for Eric Haritakis as he went to the Grow Financial Federal Credit Union to deposit the day’s receipts from Zen Body Foods, a health food delivery company. That’s when the “Ginja Ninja” heard a teller yell out “Hey that guy just robbed me!” and found himself in hot pursuit of one Michael Jon Neubecker according to Fox Tampa Bay.

“The teller was empty. She yelled to the other woman across the bank, ‘Hey, that guy just robbed me’…and I just kind of ran out of the door. I don’t really know what I was thinking at that time. I just kind of went for it. I figured if he had a weapon, he probably would have pulled it out at that point,” Haritakas told Fox.

The security cameras at the nearby UPS store captured Haritakis chasing Neubecker and then moments later shows the MMA fighter bringing the transient turned attempted robber back to the bank with his hands behind his back.

The Ginja Ninja asked for zip ties from UPS but had to settle for tape which he used to bind Neubecker’s arms and legs until police arrived.

Haritakis is 0-2 as a pro fighter per Sherdog and hasn’t fought professionally since 2009. No word on when or if he’ll be returning to the cage.

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About the author
Nate Wilcox
Nate Wilcox

Nate Wilcox is the founding editor of BloodyElbow.com. As such he has hired every editor and writer to work for the site. Wilcox’s writing for BE is known for its emphasis on MMA history, the evolution of fighting techniques and strong opinions. Wilcox developed the SBN MMA consensus rankings which were featured in USA Today from 2009 to 2011. Before founding BE, Wilcox was a political operative working for such figures as Senators John Kerry and Mark Warner and an early political blogger. He is the co-author of Netroots Rising, a history of the political blogosphere from 2003 to 2007. Wilcox also hosts the Let It Roll podcast on music history for the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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