Friends of martial arts champion Ron Van Clief are puzzled by allegations that he threatened a man with a kitchen knife and held him against his will at his Waikiki apartment.

Van Clief’s martial arts training partner, Virgil Pena, who sees the 72-year-old man two to three times a week and has known him for 15 years, said, “I’ve never seen him angry.” Adding that the allegations seem out of character, he said, “It just doesn’t make sense.”

Van Clief appeared Thursday in District Court for his preliminary hearing on charges of first-degree terroristic threatening and kidnapping. An arraignment has been scheduled for Jan. 7 in Circuit Court before Judge Richard Perkins.

During the hearing, Michael E. Vincent, 51, said Sunday night he was having a friendly conversation with Van Clief in the Waikiki apartment when Van Clief suddenly became angry. Vincent said they had been discussing a book project and ultimate fighting champion Royce Gracie’s upcoming visit to Hawaii.

Vincent said Van Clief told him that he had insulted his jiujitsu. He then went to the kitchen and returned with a knife in his left hand, allegedly threatening to kill Vincent. Vincent said when Van Clief lunged at him with the knife, he jumped back.

During the hearing, Vincent demonstrated Van Clief’s threatening actions with his right hand. He told deputy public defender Darcia Forester that while Van Clief held the knife with his left hand, Vincent demonstrated the action with his right hand because he is right-handed.

He said he attempted to leave, telling Van Clief about 10 times that he wanted to leave. But Van Clief blocked the front door. When Van Clief briefly turned away, Vincent opened the door, ran down the hallway and called 911 from the elevator.

Vincent said he has no idea why Van Clief became angry. It “was so out of character for him,” he said.

Vincent said he met Van Clief in late October or early November after Van Clief observed him doing martial arts training exercises at his apartment building, which is next to Van Clief’s. He said they became friends, regularly talking to each other about martial arts.

Vincent said he was “star-struck” by Van Clief because of the people he had previously worked with in movies, such as the late martial arts legend Bruce Lee. Lee had called Van Clief the “Black Dragon.”

Forester requested a motion to dismiss the case due to a lack of probable cause. Judge Paul Wong denied the motion, saying there was probable cause in the terroristic threatening and kidnapping charges.

Forester then requested Van Clief to either be released from jail or have his bail reduced to $5,000 from $25,000. He is the sole caregiver of his 93-year-old mother. She lives with Van Clief and suffers from Alz-heimer’s disease and dementia.

A former New York City police officer and U.S. Marine, Van Clief does not have a criminal history, Forester said.

Wong denied the requests.

Van Clief’s friends were attempting to post his bail Thursday so he could spend Christmas with his family.

Pena, who was seated in the courtroom gallery during the hearing, questioned the veracity of the allegations, pointing out that Van Clief is right-handed, not left-handed.

Another friend, Dr. Rick Wagner, who also attended the hearing, said Van Clief was not known to snap or fly off the handle at anyone. “He’s very disciplined and self-controlled.”