Rodrigo Gomez teaches jiujitsu at Misawa Air Base, Japan, Feb. 17, 2016. (Jordyn Fetter/U.S. Air Force)
A federal jury in Little Rock, Ark., has convicted former jiujitsu instructor at Misawa Air Base of attempted manslaughter of an airman during a fight in an on-base café.
Rodrigo Pineda Gomez, 44, the husband of an Air Force officer, was arrested in February last year on charges stemming from a New Year’s Eve 2016 incident at Cafe Mokuteki, a popular eatery at the home of the 35th Fighter Wing in northern Japan.
The jiujitsu instructor, who was barred from U.S. military bases in Japan after the fight, was indicted in Arkansas because that’s his last known state of residence.
He was also convicted of assault, resisting a federal officer and making a false statement to law enforcement, Justice Department and Air Force officials told The Associated Press on Thursday.
Gomez and his 21-year-old son, Miguel Gomez, assaulted three airmen on Misawa Air Base in 2016. Rodrigo Gomez attempted to kill one of the airmen by trying to snap his neck and stomping on his head, officials said, according to the news agency.
Miguel Gomez pleaded guilty last week to one count of assault. A sentencing date hasn’t been set, the agency reported.
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