Antioch pastor fights off alleged church burglar with martial arts

ANTIOCH, Calif. - An East Bay Baptist pastor used martial arts to fight off a burglar who broke into his church.

Antioch police are describing the tense confrontation as a "battle of good and evil." 

"Pray for the man that tried to rob us," Pastor Nick Neves said from the pulpit while delivering his sermon Sunday, after an axe-wielding burglar broke into the First Family Church in Antioch just after midnight on Thanksgiving, setting off the alarm.

"One of the ten commandments is ‘you shall not steal,’" he said. "So, in that respect, yeah, I was stopping this man from doing evil."

The pastor quickly arrived to find a broken window and a man who didn’t belong there.

"He started to run and so [the two of us] ran out into the parking lot where I grabbed a hold of him," said Neves. "We tussled for a little while."

The pastor relied on his martial arts training to fend off the alleged thief who swung at the man of God in a battle that would last for about 15 minutes.

"He put up quite a fight," said Neves who still managed to call 9-1-1 during the scuffle. "We were on the ground, and I drug him to a place where my phone was at."

Within minutes, Neves said Antioch police arrived and took the suspect into custody, allowing the pastor to stand down, much to the relief of the congregation.

"I’m grateful that God protected him," said John Williams, a member of the congregation. "This could have turned out a lot worse."

"He’s a very humble man, our pastor," said congregant Tania Watkins. "I hope that this man can finally get the help he needs to turn his life around."

Although the pastors said the man was not armed during the fight, a long axe and a small push dagger were taken by police as evidence.

According to police, the axe was used to break in.

"If he has to face the music, maybe that will cause him to change his ways, and turn his eyes to Christ, and maybe he would repent."

Neves, who is a little bruised, said he forgives the intruder.

Antioch Mayor-Elect Ron Bernal told KTVU in part, "It’s unfortunate our community finds itself in a place where people feel it’s necessary to take matters of public safety into their own hands. I’m looking forward to new leadership that will prioritize creating a safer Antioch."

Neves said the suspect tried to take cleaning supplies, food from a refrigerator, and tried to break into a snack machine but failed.

He estimates the damage to the church at around $2,000, primarily to replace two windows. 

KTVU reached out to Antioch police regarding the charges the suspect is facing, but not immediately hear back.

Neves said he doesn’t want his church to be known for this.

The small congregation spends a lot of time giving to the community, including through the food pantry they operate every Saturday.