West Palm Beach A.M.E Pastor Attacked and Robbed in Church
A man is in custody after authorities say he assaulted and robbed a pastor in suburban West Palm Beach on last Sunday night.
The pastor of St. Paul A.M.E church in West Palm Beach, Florida was robbed and attacked.
A
man the police say is the suspect, Richard L. Emanuel, of West Palm
Beach, was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail Tuesday evening.
Manuel faces robbery and aggravated battery charges and his bond is set
at $50,000 for the battery charge, though he was refused bond for the
robbery charge.
The pastor said he was changing
in his office at the church located in the 3300 block of Haverhill Road
at about 10:18 p.m. Sunday when he was suddenly struck in the back of
the head. He fought with the attacker, who eventually ripped a gold
necklace from his neck, took his gold bracelet and gold Invicta watch
before fleeing.
The
attacker Emanuel, 53, was said to be armed with a steel bar and was
wearing a black sweatshirt, a black ski mask, sunglasses and black
gloves during the attack.
After sheriffs
arrive, the pastor was taken to St. Mary’s Medical Center to receive
treatment for contusions and other injuries he suffered during the
attack.
The deputy said he saw a white van leaving the
church parking lot around the time he heard reports of the attack, so he
followed the van, which hit a parked vehicle as it left. He and other
deputies later stopped the vehicle. Emanuel was behind the wheel, but
instead of the black sweatshirt, he was wearing a red shirt.
Though Emanuel said refused a DNA test and questioning when apprehended on Tuesday, he could not find the evidence he wore inside the white van he was stopped in that day.
Officers found what he was wearing the day of the attack and also found the pastor’s bracelet and watch.
Note: The photo above of the church is on St. Paul AME church website at the location of the attack but the same photo is used on another church website for a Seven Day Adventist church.
Source
Though Emanuel said refused a DNA test and questioning when apprehended on Tuesday, he could not find the evidence he wore inside the white van he was stopped in that day.
Officers found what he was wearing the day of the attack and also found the pastor’s bracelet and watch.
Note: The photo above of the church is on St. Paul AME church website at the location of the attack but the same photo is used on another church website for a Seven Day Adventist church.
