PASADENA, Texas December 16 2019 A Pasadena man is facing charges after police say he ran inside a church and threatened members with a screwdriver.

It happened around 6:30 p.m. Thursday at First Baptist Church on Fairmont Parkway during its annual Christmas program.

Police say security noticed a man driving erratically in the parking lot when off-duty officers confronted him.

That’s when police say the man ran into the sanctuary armed with a screwdriver. They say he tripped over instruments in the orchestra area when officers tried to subdue him.

A churchgoer used a music stand to hit the suspect and help the officers, according to police.

“There was a (scuffle) for several minutes until they were able to get him handcuffed,” a witness told ABC13. “The whole incident lasted less than 5 minutes.”

Investigators say the suspect “appeared to be under the influence of an unknown narcotic” and was taken to a hospital for evaluation.

First Baptist – Pasadena sent ABC13 the following statement:

“An unstable man entered our building last night as we were preparing to begin the first night of our annual Christmas presentation. Without provocation, he rushed into the auditorium and began to take threatening actions in the front of the room. He was successfully restrained by our security team and the Pasadena Police Department. Aside from relatively minimal property damage, no one was physically harmed to our knowledge. We are extremely grateful to the Pasadena PD for their immediate response and control, protecting both the man and all in attendance. We have taken extra precautionary measures for the remaining performances and look forward to sharing our program with the community Friday, Saturday, and Sunday!”

The suspect is now facing aggravated assault charges.

ABC 13

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