Real-Life Aikido Stories
March 16, 2002
Black-belt prosecutor stops fleeing prisoner cold
By JASON SCHULTZ
Sentinel staff writer
SANTA CRUZ — A prosecutor specializing in white-collar crime got to show off his black belt in
aikido on Friday when he took down a fleeing inmate at the county courthouse.
Dave Genochio, with the District Attorney’s Office for more than 20 years, was sitting in the gallery in Judge Art Danner’s courtroom around 10 a.m. Hearing a commotion, he looked up
and saw 29-year-old Peter Hurd of Olympic Valley, clad in a jail-issue orange jumpsuit, leap through the jury box trying to flee the courtroom. Several bailiffs and other prosecutors were
in hot pursuit.
Genochio, who holds a black belt in the martial art of aikido, stood up and threw a move called the "tenchi nage." Santa Cruz Aikido instructor Michael Chojnacki said the name translates to "heaven and earth throw." Genochio compared the move to a wrestling move known as a "clothesline." He threw his left arm across Hurd’s upper body from his shoulder to his waist.
Hurd came to an abrupt stop, and Genochio drove the inmate into a row of seats, where both were tackled by the pursuing bailiffs. Neither Hurd nor Genochio were hurt.
"It was awesome," said prosecutor Jeff Rossell, who was in the courtroom. "It was like poetry in motion." Genochio said he "just reacted. I was just thinking, ‘He is not getting out that door.’ "
Aikido centers on immobilizing attackers without hurting them, unlike kung fu or more traditional types of karate that focus of punches and kicks, Chojnacki said.
Hurd was facing charges of burglary, vandalism and battery. Prosecutors will now add
attempted escape to the list.
Contact Jason Schultz at jschultz@santa-cruz.com.
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