High School Wrestler Saves Woman And Kids From Man After Assault, Dana White Comments

By Marc Middleton

New Mexico high school wrestler Canaan Bower is making headlines this week after helping to stop an alleged kidnapping and assault in Lac Cruces, NM on Wednesday, March 25.

22 year old Daniel Arroyo Beltran of Phoenix, Arizona, was arrested by Doña Ana, NM County Sheriff's deputies last Wednesday after witnesses said he tried to kidnap three children at Chucky's Gas Station in Doña Ana. Beltran is also accused of assaulting several patrons and employees who tried to intervene. Beltran has been charged with four counts of battery, two counts of assault, two counts of child abuse, and one count of kidnapping.

The apparent random attack didn't stop until Bower entered the affray and was able to control Beltran within seconds.

The 16 year old Bower won a district championship in the 285 pound heavyweight division on February 16 of this year, and later competed in the state tournament.

USA Today reports that a woman got off the bus at Chucky's, which also serves as a Greyhound bus drop-off point, at around 9am last Wednesday with her three children, ages 9, 2 and 1, and was waiting for her Uber when she noticed Arroyo staring at her and her kids. The mother told police that the man eventually approached them and grabbed the arm of the 2 year old, then demanded the woman give him her kids. The police report did not indicate that Arroyo knew the mother or her children. The mother kicked Arroyo and he responded by punching her in the head. The woman said she fell backward on top of her 1 year old son, who was strapped into a carrier on her back. Bystanders tried to intervene and that's when Arroyo allegedly punched a man and tried to hit a woman who tried to help. At some point, the mother and her kids were able to rush inside the store. A man tried to hold the doors closed but Arroyo pushed the door open with enough force that the man was knocked down. Arroyo then punched that man in the face. Arroyo punched two other women who were inside the store, while running around the store yelling, "Give me the kids." The woman and her children were hiding in a staff-only room by this point.

Meanwhile, Bower was across the street filling his truck up at a Circle K gas station when he noticed the commotion at Chucky's. Bower realized something wasn't right and went over.

"Punches were being thrown and (he could hear) screams of terror, so he jumped in his truck and went across the street," Troy Bower, father of Canaan, said. "By the time he got there, they had gone inside and so he got out of his truck and went inside ? and there was a whole bunch of blood all over the floor."

Canaan told his father that he witnessed a woman on the phone screaming for help while a man was attempting to kick down a staff-only door.

"So my son ? who just won the wrestling district championship weeks ago ? just came up behind this guy and body-slammed him and got him in a chokehold and waited for the police to show up," Troy said.

UFC President Dana White tweeted about the incident and wrote, "Hey Canaan Bower u are AWESOME!!! When this Twilight Zone episode is over i would love to meet u"

You can see footage of the incident below. Also below are local news tweets with a photo of Bower, in the yellow, and the suspect, in the navy, along with Dana's tweet:

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