A 40-year-old homeless man is charged with rushing the altar of a Washington church and attempting to tackle a priest who was kneeling in prayer.
Video shot during a Tuesday service at Spokane’s Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral shows the chaos unfold after the suspect dashes from his pew and charges Rev. David Gaines a little over an hour into the sermon.
The suspect can be heard snarling and shouting incoherently as he’s subdued and restrained by clergy members.
“It’s alright, just calm down,” one of the peacemakers can be heard telling the alleged attacker.
One of the witnesses to the attack can be heard telling others the assailant “tried to” punch Gaines in his face.
Rev. Darrin Connall, who was speaking into a microphone when the assault took place, called for someone to get the security guard.
“It took me a while to realize that this was pretty serious,” Connall told local station KREM.
He said disruptions aren’t uncommon in the downtown church, but Tuesday’s violent incident left parishioners shaken. Connall and the altar boys surrounding him remained composed, then wound down the service after the alleged assailant was removed from the altar.
“Let’s say a ‘Hail Mary’ for that disturbed gentleman,” the priest told the roughly 400 worshippers in attendance.
No one appeared to have been injured in the melee. The suspect, identified by TMZ as Joshua Summer, was scheduled to appear in court Thursday on a fourth-degree assault charge. His reason for storming the altar is unclear.