A Louisiana pastor with a history of standing his ground is once again making national headlines, this time for a street-level confrontation with a young neighbor that was caught on camera and is now spreading rapidly across social media.
According to sources, Pastor Mark Anthony “Tony” Spell of Life Tabernacle Church in Central, Louisiana, was arrested Tuesday on a felony second-degree battery charge after a physical altercation with a 20-year-old neighbor near the church.
The video shows Spell crossing the street and entering the young man’s yard. According to footage reviewed by multiple outlets, the neighbor swung at Spell first, approximately three times.
Spell then responded with a flurry of punches, took the man to the ground, delivered additional strikes while the young man tried to shield his head, and at one point grabbed and twisted his neck before standing and delivering a kick.
According to a probable cause affidavit from the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, the neighbor likely sustained a broken orbital bone above his eye and required stitches on his chin. Spell posted a $25,000 bond the same day and headed straight for the pulpit that evening.
At a press conference held Wednesday with his attorney, Spell made clear that he views the confrontation as an act of protection, not aggression. He described the moment that preceded the incident.
“He said, ‘Tony, I’m gonna r*pe your wife. I’m gonna r*pe all your grandchildren,'” Spell recounted. “He said, ‘The next time you go out of town, I’m going to k*ll them. And what the F are you going to do about it?'”
The police affidavit, however, tells a more limited story. It notes that the neighbor yelled a profanity at Spell, stating that “was it,” with no mention of the alleged threats Spell described.
Spell was unapologetic. “I have an obligation and a duty to protect life, liberty, threats of bodily harm,” he told those gathered. “So, to the people that think this was a bridge too far, this will be determined in a court of law.”
His attorney, Jeff Wittenbrink, turned some of the blame toward law enforcement, suggesting officials had failed to act on prior complaints from Spell and his congregation.
“It’s sad that we’ve had a failure in law enforcement and it may be that there’s a gap in the law,” Wittenbrink said. He also alleged that Central city police had a closer relationship with the Sherwin family across the street than was appropriate. “Every man has his limits. All these folks want to go to church in peace.”
Local law enforcement pushed back on that characterization. Casey Rayborn Hicks, public information director for the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, told that the sheriff’s office had received no reports of threats.
Central Police Chief Roger Corcoran confirmed through a public records request that only one complaint had ever been filed by the Spells against their neighbors in five years, a road rage report from Spell’s wife Shaye alleging Scott Sherwin’s son showed her his middle finger. No one was cited due to insufficient probable cause.
The young man’s father, Scott Sherwin, whose property sits directly across from Life Tabernacle, gave his own account. Sherwin disputed his son’s role in starting the altercation and offered a pointed critique of the pastor’s public framing.
“Pastor Spell has a habit of not telling the truth in an attempt to shift the narrative into his direction,” Sherwin said. “He’s a professional at playing the vi*tim.”
Sherwin added that his family has not been without fear in this dispute, stating that threats have come from the other direction as well. “We have had threats from Pastor Spell to physically hurt me and my wife,” he told. Sherwin said he intends to file a protective order.
The feud between the two households has reportedly been simmering for years, with roots stretching back to the COVID-19 pandemic. Spell gained national attention in March 2020 when he became what Christianity Today identified as the first pastor in the country to publicly defy pandemic lockdown orders by continuing to hold in-person services.
Central police arrested him at the time on six misdemeanor counts of violating the governor’s orders. Spell and Life Tabernacle subsequently sued the Louisiana governor, the mayors of Baton Rouge and Central, the East Baton Rouge Parish sheriff, and the Central police chief for violating their religious liberties. In May 2022, the Louisiana Supreme Court ruled in Spell’s favor.
This is not Spell’s first arrest for a physical confrontation, either. In April 2020, he was accused of backing a bus toward a man who was protesting outside the church during the pandemic. That incident was also captured on video. Charges in that case were ultimately dismissed in 2022.
Online reaction to the latest video has been divided but largely sympathetic toward Spell. Many commenters noted that the neighbor swung first, and others expressed that the alleged threats, if true, would justify a forceful response.
Others offered more colorful observations about the pastor’s technique, with one noting that Spell appeared to apply something resembling a camel clutch hold.
When he walked out of the East Baton Rouge Parish jail earlier that day, Spell had a simple message for the cameras.
“The truth will come out in court.”
