Derek Paulson, 27, a purple belt at Ironside Jiu-Jitsu in Modesto, California, filed an official police report on June 18 describing a June 15 bachelor party assault using exclusively BJJ competition terminology, forcing the Modesto Police Department to hire a grappling consultant to decode the incident and raising questions about whether any crime actually occurred. The 14-page typed report, submitted to the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s office at 2:17 p.m. on a Wednesday, contains zero conventional descriptions of assault. No “punched,” “kicked,” “grabbed,” or “threatened.” No standard police report language whatsoever. The document references only scoring terminology from the IBJJF rulebook: “position advancement,” “advantages,” “stalling,” “heel hook engagement outside the legal zone,” “passive guard,” “reaping,” “referee stoppage,” “advantageous decision,” and “tactical points accumulation.” “It’s a police report,” said Detective Maria Chen, Modesto PD, who first opened the case. “And it reads like match commentary from FloGrappling. I have no idea what crime occurred, whether anyone was injured, or whether this is a complaint or a complaint about match judging.” Paulson’s account, translated by hired consultant Gabe Martinez (Sacramento State BJJ, black belt, 8 years competitive experience): The incident happened at The Rustic Lodge bar in Stockton during his friend Brandon’s bachelor party. Around 10:45 p.m., Paulson was standing at the bar when what he describes as “an opponent”—a man named Travis Dobbins, 31, whom Paulson had never met before—initiated “an unscheduled engagement in the bar zone.” In Paulson’s terminology (with Martinez’s translation attempts):
- Dobbins “achieved top position with heavy pressure from the north-south perspective” (possibly a wrestling-style tackle or shove)
- Paulson “attempted a frame escape with both hands” (pushed back)
- Dobbins “passed the guard with pressure on both sides of the centerline” (fell on him?)
- Paulson “could not maintain an effective guard and conceded position” (was thrown or pushed to the ground)
- Dobbins “secured side control and held advantages for 7 consecutive minutes without position change” (sat on top of Paulson for 7 minutes)
- The “referee” (the bartender, Josh Malone) “called stalling on both athletes and issued a warning for inactivity” (?)
- Paulson “achieved a reversal from a bottom position using hip escape technique but could not establish dominant control” (maybe stood up, maybe didn’t)
- The engagement “concluded with an advantageous decision favoring the top athlete (Dobbins) with a score of 2-0 in advantages” (unclear)
- Paulson “did not tap” (unclear if this is literally true or a statement about not submitting) “In jiu-jitsu, this might describe a competition match,” Martinez said. “As a crime? I cannot tell if anyone was punched. In jiu-jitsu, ‘advantages’ is a specific scoring term worth 1/4 of a point. In this report, it might mean bruises. Or it might mean nothing happened.” The Stanislaus County DA’s office has flagged the report for immediate clarification. “We need to determine if this is aggravated assault, simple battery, unlawful restraint, or a misunderstanding,” said Assistant DA Richard Tong. “In California law, we don’t have a charge called ‘accumulating advantages.’ We need plain language.” Paulson declined to meet with Detective Chen in person for a follow-up interview. Instead, he submitted a one-paragraph addendum via email, dated June 19, which read: “Upon further reflection, I believe the engagement also included what I classify as a ‘heel hook engagement outside the legal zone,’ which constitutes a red-card offense and permanent disqualification from the bachelor party venue. I recommend the referee review video evidence and issue immediate sanctions against the assailant.” The bar owner, Linda Chen (no relation to Detective Maria Chen), said she didn’t witness the incident. The bartender, Josh Malone, said, “Derek and some guy had a disagreement by the bar. There was raised voices. One shove. It lasted maybe 20 seconds. Derek was not hurt. I told them to take it outside. They didn’t. I called the cops.” Travis Dobbins, 31, doesn’t train jiu-jitsu. He hasn’t been charged with anything. Dobbins’ statement to police: “We had an argument about who was in line for a beer. He got physical first. I pushed back. That was it. I didn’t assault anybody.” Paulson’s coach at Ironside Jiu-Jitsu, Carlos Medina (black belt, 20 years), said: “Derek is a good student. Very dedicated. But he applies jiu-jitsu language to everything. Last week he filed a complaint with the gym about the class schedule using only IBJJF bracket terminology. I told him to stop. Apparently, he didn’t listen with the police.” Paulson’s training partner, Sam Okonkwo (blue belt, 18 months training), confirmed that Paulson frequently uses competition language in everyday conversation. “He’ll say, ‘I passed your guard at lunch’ when he just got to my sandwich first. It’s annoying. But it’s who he is.” The Modesto BJJ community has since rallied around Paulson. An online petition titled “Support Derek’s Right to Document His Experience Using the Language of His Community” has gathered 47 signatures (35 from people who don’t train BJJ and don’t understand what the report says). The petition argues: “He was assaulted. He reported it. Should he have to abandon his cultural identity to file a police report?” Three commenters pointed out that Paulson filed the report voluntarily, wasn’t forced to file it, and could’ve simply called 911 at the time (he didn’t). Paulson has since posted on Instagram: “The system is designed to silence people who speak differently. I will not be erased.” The DA’s office has issued new guidance: “If you are filing a crime report, please use standard English. If you prefer to file in another language, we provide translation services. If you file in jiu-jitsu competition terminology, we will assume the document is humorous in nature and not investigate.” Paulson has filed a complaint against the DA’s office for “cultural discrimination and bias against the grappling community.” Detective Chen has requested that Paulson submit a supplemental report in standard English, describing what actually happened with conventional language. Paulson responded with an 11-page document written entirely in Spanish. He later confirmed that he does not speak Spanish and had used Google Translate. The translation quality is, according to Martinez, “so bad that we now suspect he also doesn’t speak English.” The case remains open. At last count, the petition had grown to 89 signatures. Paulson is now consulting with a civil rights attorney about suing the Modesto Police Department for “linguistic discrimination.” The DA’s office has recommended that the police department simply call it a “mutual combat incident” and close the case, as it appears no injury occurred and the only witness is Malone, who said it “lasted maybe 20 seconds” and was “not serious.” Paulson’s final statement via email: “This is exactly what institutional gatekeeping looks like. I expressed my experience in the language of my discipline, and I’m being gaslit for it.” The petition hasn’t grown since.