California pastor fends off suspected burglar at church, says ‘God was very gracious and protected me'

A California pastor with a martial arts inheritance tells Fox News Digital that "God was precise gracious and protected me" arsenic helium fended disconnected a suspected burglar astatine his religion connected Thanksgiving Day. 

Pastor Nick Neves of the First Family Church successful Antioch said Friday that the incidental began yesterday greeting erstwhile helium arrived astatine the religion to cheque retired an alarm and a doorway that had been propped open. 

"As I went to locomotion into the building, the fishy was coming retired with a fistful of our stuff. I told him stop, fundamentally helium was nether citizen’s apprehension and helium tried to fly and I grabbed a clasp of him and we ended up wrestling astir successful the parking batch for astir 15 minutes until the cops could get there," Neves told Fox News Digital. 

"He was precise assertive and I did my champion conscionable to subdue him without doing immoderate harm to him," helium continued. "We are a gospel church that wants to constituent radical to the Lord and bash bully successful our assemblage and erstwhile idiosyncratic is smashing your windows and stealing your worldly it’s harder to assistance radical out." 

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Pastor Nick Neves of the First Family Church, left, tells Fox News Digital that helium "ended up wrestling astir successful the parking batch for astir 15 minutes" with a burglary fishy connected Thursday, Nov. 28, until the Antioch Police Department arrived. (Courtesy Nick Neves/Antioch Police Department)

Neves besides said "God was precise gracious and protected maine from overmuch harm there." 

"Hopefully the feline tin deliberation astir his crimes and his sins and hopefully repent," helium added. 

The Antioch Police Department says an ax utilized by the fishy to interruption a model astatine the religion was recovered astatine the scene. 

"I signifier jujitsu and did a small spot of kickboxing grooming successful the past truthful I cognize however to support myself," Neves told Fox News Digital. 

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An ax that the Antioch Police Department says was utilized to interruption into the First Family Church connected Thursday morning. (Antioch Police Department)

"You bid for years and years and you ne'er truly person to usage it if you are a idiosyncratic of bid – you are not trying to get into occupation with anybody, but it’s determination if you request it and, thankfully, this feline who was trying to bash maine harm didn’t person the grooming I had, and truthful I was capable to fundamentally neutralize his attacks," helium added. 

The Antioch Police Department said, "When the burglar saw his wicked deeds had been discovered helium decided to combat with the pastor alternatively of repent."  

A model that the fishy utilized to interruption into the First Family Church successful Antioch, Calif., according to the Antioch Police Department. (Antioch Police Department)

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"What helium did not cognize was the pastor would triumph this conflict of bully and evil and helium held down the perp until APD arrived and placed the antheral successful custody," constabulary besides said. "We are thankful contiguous that the pastor was uninjured during this incidental and hopeful that with astonishing assemblage members similar we person been highlighting lately, we tin crook the tide connected transgression successful our city."