Darren Levine
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Darren Levine is a martial artist, entrepreneur, and prosecutor for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office. He is best known for helping to popularize Krav Maga, the official hand-to-hand combat system of the Israel Defense Forces.
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[edit] Career
Levine currently works as a prosecutor for the Crimes Against Peace Officers Section (CAPOS), which is dedicated to prosecuting those who murder or attempt to murder police officers.
He has been Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles County since 2003[1][2]. The same year, Levine and his detectives built a case against Gerald Mason, who had evaded arrest since 1957 for the rape of a teenage girl, the assault of three other teenagers, and the murder of two police officers. Mason was sentenced to life imprisonment, ending one of the longest unsolved cases in the United States[3].
As of September 2007, he has a 100% conviction rate[4]. He has been a recipient of several honors from district attorney groups and victim’s rights groups.
[edit] Education
Levine attended Loyola Law School.
[edit] Krav Maga
Levine is the founder of the Krav Maga Association of America and Krav Maga Worldwide.
In 1981, Levine was selected as part of the first group outside of Israel to train in Krav Maga. While training in Israel, Levine was befriended by Krav Maga founder Imi Lichtenfeld. In 1982, Lichtenfeld traveled to Los Angeles to stay with Levine and continue his training. Levine is one of only two recipients of a Krav Maga Founder’s Diploma awarded by Lichtenfeld before his death in 1998. At the time, Levine was the highest ranking instructor in the United States[5], and had training centers in West Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston and Philadelphia[6].
He is co-author with John Whitman of Complete Krav Maga.
[edit] References
- ^ LA Times, January 10, 2003
- ^ Gang Member Ordered to Stand Trial for County Officer’s Murder
- ^ People Magazine, May 2003
- ^ http://www.maseminars.com/browse.htm
- ^ Los Angeles Magazine, April 1998
- ^ TIME, May 4, 1998