A Fourth of July weekend arrest at Virginia Beach’s Oceanfront has captured attention after video showed a shirtless man in distinctive black and white striped pants attempting a spinning heel kick on a charging police officer, only to be tackled into the sand and taken into custody.
The man in the video is Timothy Allen Wegert, 33, of Monroe, a community near Lynchburg, Virginia. His background makes the footage all the more remarkable: Wegert is a fourth-degree black belt and three-time world champion in martial arts, and formerly served as CEO and master instructor at UpLevel Martial Arts in Charlottesville.
According to Virginia Beach police, officers were flagged by a bystander reporting an assault at 2:20 a.m. on July 5 in the 1300 block of Atlantic Avenue. The encounter escalated when Wegert attempted to flee on a one-wheeled hover board along the beach before falling off, at which point an officer sprinted after him.
The video shows the officer closing in on Wegert who takes a defensive stance and launches what appears to be a spinning heel kick that narrowly misses the officer’s head before he is driven to the ground.
Wegert was arrested and charged with felony assault and battery on a law enforcement officer, along with misdemeanor counts of simple assault, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, obstruction of justice, providing false identification to law enforcement, and displaying a fictitious operator’s license. He was also cited for reckless riding.
At a bond hearing Wednesday, Judge Wanda Cooper denied Wegert bail. Wegert told the court that the events were the result of a “misunderstanding,” explaining that he had confronted a man he believed had recently taken his car.
Prosecutors disputed that account, saying his car had actually been towed from the Oceanfront area and that Wegert had punched the tow truck driver “in the face.” Wegert called the prosecution’s version “false” and told the judge he “did not throw a single roundhouse kick.”
Arguing for his release, Wegert described himself as a “man of God” and a “hardworking, tax-paying citizen that would be set back so far” by the charges. Judge Cooper was not persuaded.
Prosecutors also detailed a prior incident in Florida in which Wegert allegedly barricaded himself in a bathroom, attempted to climb through the ceiling, and then charged at officers with a 6 to 8-foot metal pipe, striking one officer and nearly severing his ear. Wegert told the court he is currently on supervised probation for separate charges in Culpeper, Virginia.
Wegert acknowledged he had not previously received mental health treatment, though he noted his family wants him to begin psychiatric care. He told the judge he has “extr3me PTSD” stemming from interactions with law enforcement that traces back to the Florida incident.
Bill Peters, a family friend and owner of the UpLevel Martial Arts location in Charlottesville, confirmed that Wegert trained with the school from childhood, earning his fourth-degree black belt and three world championship titles there. Peters also confirmed Wegert was let go as CEO in 2021 due to conduct outside the business, which he said included multiple assaults.
“I know him very, very well, I know the whole family, what a nice family,” Peters said. “It’s a shame.”
At Wednesday’s hearing, Wegert said he intends to represent himself in the case.
NEW: Fourth Degree Belt and former martial arts instructor attempts spinning heel kick on Virginia Beach officer and gets tackled instead
Virginia Beach police arrested 33-year-old Timothy Allen Wegert after he squared up to an officer and attempted a spinning heel kick on the… pic.twitter.com/bW2ZO7UlZD
— The Facts Dude 🤙🏽 (@Thefactsdude) July 7, 2026
