Brooklyn Pastor Says He And His Wife Were Robbed Of More Than $1M In Jewelry During Church Service
A flashy Brooklyn pastor known for wearing designer outfits and extravagant jewelry says he was robbed along with his wife of more than $1 million while he was preaching at church Sunday.
Police say they received a report that three people entered the Leaders of Tomorrow church Sunday with firearms and removed the jewelry pastor Lamor Miller-Whitehead, who goes by Bishop, and his wife were wearing. Police noted the investigation is “ongoing.”
Part of the reported incident was captured on video from inside the church. A portion of the livestream was obtained by CNN affiliate WCBS before it was removed and shows at least one perpetrator holding a gun on the pastor and interrupting his sermon.
“All right, all right, all right,” Whitehead says in the video, as he raised his hands and lowered himself to the floor.
The video is no longer available on the church’s livestream, but Whitehead told WCBS what happened.
“That — ‘all right, all right, all right’ — is pretty much stating that I don’t want, I’m not going to do anything, right, ’cause I know y’all coming for me, y’all coming straight to me. I don’t want my parishioners hurt,” he said.
“I got women and children there. As I got down, one went to my wife and took all her jewelry, and had the gun in front of my 8-month-old baby’s face,” he continued.
“Took off my bishop’s ring, my wedding band and took off my bishop chain, and then I had chains underneath my robe, and he start tapping my neck to see if (there was) anything else — so that means they knew, they watched and they knew that I have other jewelry,” he said.
Whitehead said there were gunmen with firearms raised to deacons at the door as well. There were about 20 to 25 congregants present, police said.
“My church is traumatised,” Whitehead said.
The NYPD said they received a report that the suspects took more than $1 million worth of jewelry and then fled the location on foot. They reportedly entered a white Mercedes-Benz vehicle and were seen traveling eastbound on Avenue D, police said.
Whitehead encouraged those responsible to turn themselves in to police.
“I forgive you and I’m praying for you, you know, and I hope that God delivers you from the mindset of who you are at this time,” he said.
Source: CNN
