Wrestler-Turned-Strip Club Bouncer Stops Gunman in Shocking Video

A security guard at the Mons Venus strip club in Tampa, Florida is being hailed as a hero after thwarting a shooting attempt. The suspect, Michael Rudman, was arrested after allegedly attempting to enter the establishment with a raised, fully-loaded firearm and a red devil’s mask on.

Security guard Manny Resto spotted the gun in Rudman’s hand and started fighting with him in the entryway. The gun dropped to the ground, before Resto picked it up and pointed it at Rudman. The suspect then charged Resto, but he was eventually subdued and held down by three security guards, including Danny Baham, until the police arrived.

During the incident, one round was fired from the gun, but nobody was injured by the bullet. Rudman had the words “KILL” and “DARKK ONE” tattooed on his arms. When police arrived, they found “two additional fully loaded magazines in his pocket, along with additional ammunition, knives, and firearm holsters in Rudman’s truck.”

Resto, who previously wrestled as the “Puerto Rican Punisher,” stated that he “knew I was in a fight for my life” during the incident. “I decided that he was not going to enter the club and hurt anybody,” he added. “I wasn’t going to let this happen. I was not going to let him win.”

Though police said they don’t know Rudman’s motive, they said he had visited the club the previous night.

“There is no question that the security guards who disarmed this suspect saved dozens of lives through their heroic acts,” said Interim Police Chief Lee Bercaw. “I am thankful that our officers were able to take this individual into custody before he had a chance to carry out whatever he had planned.”

Rudman is facing charges of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Battery, Aggravated Battery with a Deadly Weapon, and Purchasing, Possessing, or Receiving a Firearm While Under a Risk Protection Order.

Rudman had been served an RPO last year, which is a court order temporarily restricting a person’s access to firearms for up to one year in situations where the person poses a significant danger of harming themselves or others by possessing a firearm.

Rudman is being held at Falkenburg Road Jail without bond.

What are your thoughts on the heroic actions of the security guards who prevented a potential shooting at the establishment? Do you think more should be done to prevent individuals with a history of violence from accessing firearms? Leave a comment.