Sports
Man Arrested for Allegedly Kidnapping UFC Heavyweight Walt Harris’ Stepdaughter
Chris Unger/Getty ImagesIbraheem Yazeed has been arrested and charged with first-degree kidnapping in the disappearance of 19-year-old Aniah Blanchard, a student at Southern Union State Community College, according to Kirsten Fiscus of the Montgomery Advertiser. Blanchard is the stepdaughter of UFC heavyweight fighter Walt Harris.Yazeed, 29, was booked into the Escambia County (Florida) jail early Friday morning, per Fiscus. Escambia…
Chris Unger/Getty Images
Ibraheem Yazeed has been arrested and charged with first-degree kidnapping in the disappearance of 19-year-old Aniah Blanchard, a student at Southern Union State Community College, according to Kirsten Fiscus of the Montgomery Advertiser.
Blanchard is the stepdaughter of UFC heavyweight fighter Walt Harris.
Yazeed, 29, was booked into the Escambia County (Florida) jail early Friday morning, per Fiscus. Escambia County sheriff's deputies and U.S. Marshals apprehended the Yazeed, who was near the Pine Forest Road and Interstate 10 intersection just east of the Alabama-Florida border.
Investigative reporter Jenn Horton of WSFA-TV provided an update following Yazeed's Florida court appearance on Friday:
Jenn Horton @JennWSFA
UPDATE: Ibraheem Yazeed just finished ct appearance in FL. We obtained a copy of a ct doc stating Yazeed was seen taking Aniah Blanchard against her will at a gas station on S College St. State forensic lab confirmed Blanchard's blood was found in the passenger side of her car
He is being held without bond, per Escambia County inmate records.
According to ESPN News Services, images show Yazeed and Blanchard in a gas station convenience store in Auburn, Alabama on October 23. Police reported that her car “was damaged and contained evidence that Blanchard had been harmed.” There is no evidence the two knew each other prior to that evening.
Bro Krift of the Montgomery Advertiser outlined a lengthy criminal history of Yazeed, who was a free man despite being charged with “two counts of first-degree kidnapping, two counts of first-degree robbery, attempted murder and first-degree possession of marijuana” in January 2019.
He and two accomplices robbed and attacked two men in a SureStay Hotel in Montgomery, Alabama. An attack on one of the victims, a 77-year-old, left him “near death,” per Carol Robinson of AL.com.
Per Krift, “[Azeed] was freed on a combined $295,000 bond, set by a magistrate when the warrants were initially signed, the day after his arrest in February.”
Harold Gator of the Montgomery Advertiser wrote a profile of Blanchard. Her father, Elijah, told Gator that she played softball in high school and loves the color baby blue.
“I've never heard her say anything bad about anybody,” Blanchard said further. “She was always a forgiving person, she has a heart of gold and would do anything to help anyone who needed it.”
Gator provided details for anyone on the lookout for Blanchard:
“Blanchard is an African American woman with brown eyes and brown hair. She is 5'6″ tall and weighs 125 pounds. Anyone with information is urged to call the Auburn police at 334-501-3140, the anonymous tip line at 334-246-1391 or the 24-hour non-emergency number at 334-501-3100.”
Per Steve Helling of PEOPLE Magazine, there is an $80,000 reward to find Blanchard, with $25,000 coming from UFC President Dana White.
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