Melvin Manhoef on chasing down 3 burglars: ‘Don’t touch my family. You’re going to have to pay if you do this.

Bellator veteran Melvin Manhoef said he could face criminal charges for apprehending a trio of alleged burglars at his house on Monday. He was not apologetic, saying that he was reacting to threats against his family.

“I [told police] if this happens again, I’m gonna do it again because it’s our family,” he said to MMA Fighting.

Manhoef had just given a statement to police near Amsterdam. He said he still had glass in his hand from punching through the window of the alleged burglars’ car after running it off the road.

When police arrived at the scene of the apprehension, Manhoef said he and neighborhood residents had already detained the men, whom he said were later taken to the station. Manhoef believes that he stopped a criminal and took action.

“I [made] they made the wrong call,” he stated.

This photo, which appears to depict two men- Manhoef and Manhoef- was circulated via social media after the incident.

Manhoef said he had already complained to the police about the alleged burglars. He claimed the men had cased his house on several occasions, beginning this past Saturday when he went to Paris to promote his retirement fight, a light heavyweight meeting with Yoel Romero at Bellator 280, and had asked friends and family to watch over the neighborhood.

The men first tested the waters by placing papers in his door, Manhoef said, to see if someone in the house removed them. His wife said that he had asked his neighbors to use a security camera and watched what transpired. The footage showed a man entering their house. He said that the man returned later with a car and then left after the light inside turned on. A neighbor recorded the make and number of his car.

On Monday, he said he and his wife were out of the house when his neighbors called to say the men were back. He rushed back and found nothing, but decided to lie in wait for the car. After 30 minutes, he was about to leave when the car reappeared.

” I pulled my car up in front of them and was looking at them,” he stated. They saw me and looked at me. Then they turned and ran away. They then fled and I chased them.

” I chased them and crashed into them from the side. They were moving fast so I could not stop them. Then I went to the side and hit them directly from the side. They went into, what do you call, the side road and the car started turning and sliding. We crashed.

“After I crashed my car, the entire car came to a halt in the middle the road. The car stalled and I got out. I told them to come over because their burglary stuff was in there. I replied, “Open the window,” and then I took the man out and opened the door. I was yelling, I was going like crazy. Everyone sat down on their knees and put their hands on the ground. Some people were helping, they came out of their houses, and they called 911. Within minutes they were there .”

Manhoef said the road where the collision happened was isolated and no one was seriously hurt.

The fighter called it “a shame” to be forced to take the law in his own hands and escalate the situation. Normally, he said, his neighborhood is quiet, and he avoids confrontation. When his family was threatened, though, he felt compelled to act.

“I couldn’t believe my eyes,” he stated. My instinct told me that you could not come near my family. It’s like rule No. 1. Don’t touch my family. If you do that, yeah, you’re going to pay for it.”

” If I must face charges it is what it’s.” he said later. He said, “I hit the car with an intent to do something wrong, but it was because they were inside my house .”

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Although the legal implications of Manhoef’s actions remain unclear, he stated that his hand injury should not keep him from going to the gym for longer than two weeks. He’s looking forward to retirement.

“I’m 45, and the young guys, they want the throne, so sometimes you have to step away and do something else,” he said.