While waiting at a stoplight, a veteran's combat skills were put to the test when a wanted man, who led police on a chase, approached him from behind and tried to steal his motorcycle.
Brandon Jenkins was on his bike on Southern Avenue and San Jose when Joshua Michael Monigold, who was driving a white pick-up truck, ran out of the truck and tried to push Jenkins off of his motorcycle just as he was about to take off.
Jenkins, a combat veteran, fought back. He wasn't going to let his bike, which he purchased with money earned during his time in the military, get stolen.
"One minute this dude is trying to rip me off my bike and I'm trying to fight him," Jenkins said. "And then I see two cops pull up and draw their firearms."
WATCH: Dangerous chase in East Valley from start to finish
Jenkins said he wasn't sure what was going on, he just thought he was being attacked.
During the altercation, Monigold was able to get on the motorcycle, but not before being knocked down by the veteran.
"I had instincts that kicked in and where I've been in life I learned to defend myself," he said. "And I don't back down from anybody."
Several unmarked police cars approached the men and Monigold ran back into the truck, which he used to run over the motorcycle that was on the ground.
PHOTOS: Police draw weapons during chaotic East Valley chase
"I was just pissed more than anything else because my bike was trashed," he said.
Jayson Seamans, Jenkin's friend, said the man was on his way home from work and lives in the area.
"I know he can hold his own," Seamans said. "Don't mess with his bike, that's for sure."
Jenkins, a father to a 2-year-old son, didn't second guess going after the man who led police on a chase, but he would redo one minor thing.
"I would have swung a little bit harder," he said.
The veteran discourages people from doing what he did on Thursday, unless they have self-defense training.
"Just take a step back, let them take it," he said. "You can replace your vehicle, you can't replace your life."
Jenkins does plan to pursue charges against Monigold who was on the run from police since March 19.
