A California pastor’s martial arts training came in handy early Thanksgiving morning when he confronted a would-be burglar at First Family Church in Antioch.
Pastor Nick Neves responded to his church after receiving an alarm notification, where he discovered a smashed window and a door that had been propped open.
When confronting the intruder who was emerging from the church with stolen items, Neves attempted a peaceful resolution. “The perpetrator came out with a handful of our goods, and I stopped him. I told him he was essentially under citizen’s arrest, that the police would be there, and he needs to stop and wait for them,” Neves told reporters as per wsaz.com.
When the suspect tried to flee, Neves, who has practiced Brazilian jiu-jitsu since his high school years, used his training to safely restrain the individual until law enforcement arrived.
“It was never my goal to hurt the man or to do him harm,” Neves explained to CNN. “I was just hoping to keep him from getting away so that justice could be done and our church could be protected.”
According to police, the suspect had used an axe to break into the church through a window. The break-in resulted in thousands of dollars in damage to the church property.
Despite the ordeal, Neves maintains a compassionate outlook. “I don’t have hatred towards him,” he shared with CNN. “Hopefully, he’ll have to sit and think about this, and it’ll change his heart and mind, and he’ll think twice the next time he’s tempted to go out and rob from others.”
The suspect remained in custody as of Friday, with police preparing to file multiple charges including burglary, robbery, and battery.
