Capoeria has grappling?
Jackson man uses martial arts to stop alleged carjacker
By Kathleen Baydala • August 19, 2008

A Jackson man who escaped an armed carjacking attempt credits his martial arts training with his rapid response.

Marvin Williams, 34, said he was in the parking lot of the Wal-Mart on Mississippi 18 Monday night when an armed man approached him and demanded his keys.

“I was thinking he was fixing to sell me something or beg,” Williams said today. “But as he got closer, I saw he had a gun. I gave him my keys but he wasn’t walking away.”

Williams studies the Brazilian martial art known as capoeira and said he used his skills to stay calm while he grappled the gun out of his alleged attacker’s hands.

Officers who were nearby managed to chase down the suspect after he fled.

Spencer Walker, 36, of Jackson is charged with carjacking, two counts of resisting arrest and two counts of disorderly contact.