Darren Levine
Encyclopedia
Darren S. Levine is a martial artist, an entrepreneur, and a 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
.
, has worked as a Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles County since 2003. 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.
As of September 2007, he has a 100% conviction rate. He has been a recipient of several honors from district attorney groups and victim’s rights groups.
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, and had training centers in West Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, and Philadelphia. Levine holds a 6th degree black belt in the Krav Maga.
His wife, Marni Levine was very influential in expanding Krav Maga Worldwide, particularly the Krav Maga Youth program, Km-X. She died on August 31, 2006, after a long fight against cancer.
Darren Levine is the co-author with John Whitman and Ryan Hoover of Complete Krav Maga, Black Belt Krav Maga, and Krav Maga for Beginners.
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
's office. He is best known for helping to popularize Krav Maga
Krav Maga
Krav Maga is a noncompetitive eclectic self-defense system developed in Europe that involves striking techniques, wrestling and grappling. Krav Maga is known for its focus on real-world situations and extremely efficient, brutal counter-attacks...
, the official hand-to-hand combat system of the Israel Defense Forces
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
.
Career
Levine, who graduated from Loyola Law SchoolLoyola Law School
Loyola Law School is the law school of Loyola Marymount University, a private Catholic university in the Jesuit and Marymount traditions, in Los Angeles, California. Loyola was established in 1920. Like Loyola University Chicago School of Law and Loyola University New Orleans College of Law , it...
, has worked as a Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles County since 2003. The same year, Levine and his detectives built a case against Gerald Mason
Gerald Mason
Gerald Fit Mason is an American cop killer and rapist. Mason's 2003 arrest and prosecution for the 1957 murder of two El Segundo police officers made national headlines.-Criminal career:...
, 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.
As of September 2007, he has a 100% conviction rate. He has been a recipient of several honors from district attorney groups and victim’s rights groups.
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
Imi Lichtenfeld
Imre "Imi" Lichtenfeld was an Israeli martial artist who founded the Krav Maga self-defense system. He was also known as Imi Sde-Or, the Hebrew calque of his name.-Early life:...
. 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, and had training centers in West Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, and Philadelphia. Levine holds a 6th degree black belt in the Krav Maga.
His wife, Marni Levine was very influential in expanding Krav Maga Worldwide, particularly the Krav Maga Youth program, Km-X. She died on August 31, 2006, after a long fight against cancer.
Darren Levine is the co-author with John Whitman and Ryan Hoover of Complete Krav Maga, Black Belt Krav Maga, and Krav Maga for Beginners.