A burglar armed with an axe encountered an unexpected obstacle when he broke into a church on Thanksgiving, only to face a pastor skilled in martial arts, according to police.
Pastor Nick Neves of First Family Church in Antioch, California, responded to an alarm early on Thanksgiving morning, as confirmed by the Antioch Police Department in a Facebook post.
Upon arriving at the scene, the 46-year-old pastor confronted the intruder and ordered him to stop.
âI shouted at him to stop and said the police were on the way. He ran, but I grabbed him, and we ended up wrestling in the church parking lot,â Neves told NBC News.
Neves, who has training in mixed martial arts, including jiu-jitsu and kickboxing, quickly subdued the intruder without causing harm.
âI was able to pin him to the ground. He tried to get up and escape several times, but I knew I could outlast him,â Neves explained.
The struggle lasted about 15 minutes before the suspect, whose name has not been released, surrendered and was taken into custody by police.
Officers found an axe, believed to belong to the intruder, which he had used to break a window and gain access to the church.
The police noted, âWhen the burglar realized his actions had been discovered, he decided to fight with the pastor instead of turning away. What he didnât know was that the pastor would win this battle of good versus evil.â
Reflecting on the incident, Neves expressed regret over the intruderâs choices, suggesting he had missed an opportunity for help.
âIf he had come a few days earlier, he would have been offered food and care. Instead, he chose to destroy property and harm the ministry,â Neves said.
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