A Thanksgiving burglar got more than he bargained for early Thursday morning after breaking into an Antioch, California church. Turns out the church’s pastor is trained in martial arts and confronted the would-be thief.
“I shouted at him to stop, and that the police were on their way, and he ran and I grabbed a hold of him and we ended up wrestling in the parking lot of the church,” Pastor Nick Neves said.
Little did the burglar know the pastor is trained in martial arts.
“I like to stay fit, and I studied in some jujutsu and kickboxing and I have a mixed martial arts background,” he said. “So it was very helpful to be able to grapple with this gentleman without having to do much harm to him.”
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
After 12 to 15 minutes of wrestling, the burglar ran out of steam until police arrived.
“I was able to pin him to the ground and he got up and try to get away several times, but basically just trying to wear him out because I knew I could outlast him,” Neves said.
Jeff Strawther is a longtime member of Family First Church. He’s incredibly thankful his pastor wasn't hurt.
U.S. & World
“It could’ve gone in a totally different direction and we thank God that it didn’t,” Strawther said. “He’s very tough and we’re very grateful to God that he’s our pastor and not our enemy.”
The 46-year-old pastor said the church prides itself on helping others. In fact they just provided groceries for 130 families in need. He said the intruder didn’t need to steal.
“It’s just ironic. If he had come a couple of days earlier, he would have been blessed and get some food and be cared for,” Neves said. “But he decided instead to smash windows and desecrate property and do something that’s going to hurt the ministries.”
Pastor Neves said he hopes the burglar changes his ways, and chooses good over evil.
