An axe-wielding intruder got more than he expected when he broke into a church on Thanksgiving morning, only to encounter a pastor skilled in martial arts, police report.
Pastor Nick Neves responded to an alarm at First Family Church in Antioch, California, early on November 28, as confirmed by the Antioch Police Department in a Facebook post.
Upon arrival, the 46-year-old pastor confronted the intruder.
“I shouted at him to stop and told him the police were on their way,” Neves said. “He ran, but I grabbed him, and we ended up wrestling in the church parking lot.”
Neves, trained in mixed martial arts, including jiu-jitsu and kickboxing, was able to subdue the intruder without causing injury.
“I was able to pin him down. He kept trying to get away, but I knew I could outlast him,” Neves explained.
The struggle lasted about 15 minutes before the suspect, whose name has not been released, gave up and was taken into police custody.
Authorities found an axe, believed to belong to the intruder, which had been used to break a window and gain access to the church.
“When the burglar realized his actions had been discovered, he chose to fight with the pastor instead of fleeing,” police remarked in their post. “What he didn’t know was that the pastor would win the battle between good and evil, holding him down until officers arrived.”
Reflecting on the situation, Neves expressed disappointment over the intruder’s choices, suggesting he could have taken a different path.
“If he had come a couple of days earlier, he could have received food and care,” Neves shared. “But instead, he chose to destroy property and harm the ministry.”
