Pastor trained in martial arts tackles axe-wielding attacker at church

An axe-wielding burglar got more than he bargained for after breaking into a church on Thanksgiving, coming face to face with a pastor trained in martial arts, according to police. 

Pastor Nick Neves responded to an alarm triggered at First Family Church in Antioch, California, during the early hours of Thanksgiving morning, Nov. 28, the Antioch Police Department confirmed in a Facebook post. 

At the scene, the 46-year-old pastor confronted the intruder. 

“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,” Neves told NBC News. 

Neves has a background in mixed martial arts, including training in jiu jitsu and kickboxing, which enabled him to subdue the man without causing injury. 

“I was able to pin him to the ground and he got up and tried to get away several times, but basically I was just trying to wear him out because I knew I could outlast him,” Neves explained. 

The altercation lasted approximately 15 minutes before the suspect, whose name has not been disclosed, gave up and was taken into custody by police. 

Authorities reported finding an axe, believed to belong to the intruder, which had been used to break a window to gain entry to the church. 

“When the burglar saw his wicked deeds had been discovered, he decided to fight with the pastor instead of repent,” police noted in their post. “What he did not know was that the pastor would win this battle of good and evil and he held down the perp until APD arrived and placed the man in custody.” 

Reflecting on the incident, Neves lamented the intruder’s actions, suggesting there were alternatives available to him. 

“If he had come a couple of days earlier, he would have been blessed and got some food and be cared for,” Neves told NBC. “But he decided instead to smash windows and desecrate property and do something that’s going to hurt the ministries.”