Video: Police Chase Into Crown Heights Church Sparks Outrage

Church leaders and Brooklyn politicians are irate after the NYPD chased a teenager into a Crown Heights Church Friday night. They say cops showed no respect for the sanctity of the Shiloh Seventh-Day Adventist Church when they barged in after the perp, 18-year-old Kendall Jones, who allegedly fled after cops caught him driving the wrong way down a one-way street in a stolen car.

"The police violated the sanctity of this house of worship," said Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries (D-Crown Heights) at a press conference yesterday. "The police conducted themselves as if they were raiding a crack house as opposed to being in a house of worship. This type of police behavior would not have occurred at St. Patrick's Cathedral." Jeffries was joined at the press conference by Councilwoman Letitia James and state Sen. Eric Adams (D-Flatbush).

Church Leader Peter Leonce tells the Daily News that more than 100 parishioners were celebrating services when cops burst in. "They were scared. Some of them were in a state of panic," says Leonce, who claims police ignored his offers to negotiate Jones's surrender and demanded an apology. But an NYPD spokesman says, "Police acted appropriately in apprehending as quickly as possible an individual who was endangering the public." And City Councilman Peter Vallone (D-Astoria) shrugs off the complaints, quipping, "Sanctuary ended in the Middle Ages." (It appears he's right.)

Jones, a member of the church, was slapped with 11 charges, including grand larceny and reckless driving. His lawyer tells the Journal the vehicle belonged to the mother of one of Jones's friends, adding, "He was afraid of police. It was stupid and he shouldn't have done it. He was just scared." Below, enjoy video of the chase through the church; it's silent, so you'll want to play "Yakety Sax" simultaneously for the appropriate musical accompaniment.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By John Del Signore in News on May 10, 2010 9:38 AM

Comments [rss]

Krooklyn

For any member of the this Church that may for some reason have the opportunity to read this, "Please for God's sake, shut the fuck up". The Police, were doing their job. Look at it this way, if it was your ride that was stolen I bet you'd be praying to God that the police catch him. And then, if he went into a Church you'd all be preaching, "Thats right, the devil lead him into the Church where it's God's house and God makes the rules in his house...AMEN, praise the lord I got my car back". The Police were actually doing their job. They showed respect to the Church by apprehending what you'd call, "An evil doer in the house of God".

justwondering

Ok, let me get this right. Someone just stole a car and ran into a church. Police who job it is to catch bad guys, ran into the church to get this person before he might have took someone in the church hostage or worst killed someone tring to escape. And the police are wrong for "violating the sanctity of the church" by catching a bad guy before he had a chance to do something far worst?

But the bad guy did not violate the the church by thinking the church was homebase and the police would not touch him. And where were these people who were so scared? I saw 2 people. These church leaders and politicians need to shut up and get your butts involved with these young people before they turn to crime. Is your hatred of the police that great that you have lost your minds? Do you beleive all police are bad and african americans do no wrong? It seems to me that the church is not doing a good enough job if one of it's members decided to resort to crime to make ends meet instead of doing it the old fashion way. Get a J-O-B.

Loulou

After watching the vid I literally lol'ed at this

"The police violated the sanctity of this house of worship," said Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries (D-Crown Heights) at a press conference yesterday. "The police conducted themselves as if they were raiding a crack house as opposed to being in a house of worship."

lol. rabblerabblerabble. Some people really got nothing better to do. Instead of bashing the cleanup process why doesn't he just do something beneficial for his district?

Chillinoncentral

You all have this all wrong! What the police should have done was NOT enter the church and, instead, surround it (front and back) with guns drawn and yell "This is the police. You are surrounded. Come out with your hands up." If there is no timely and appreciable response, throw tear gas into the place and notify the FBI and the networks.

CaptainWillard

But wouldn't the FBI then just come with tanks, ram the wall, knock over a lantern, and cause the whole place to burn down?

wingedearth

Say, isn't that the church I used to buy crack at? And that holy communion wine tastes an awful lot like Night Train.

ozik

I wonder if the people in the church would feel the same way if the criminal wasn't a member?

CaptainWillard

I don't see anyone "scared" or "in a state of panic" in that video... And I certainly don't see 100 parishoners, or a service going on... This sounds like a BS story...

H.W. Fowler

Blame the cops, not the thug. Brilliant. I think next time the cops should let the criminals, hopefully armed and hopped up on PCP, run wild in that church and just wait outside then, let them soak up that sanctity.

Watching the video with the song accompaniment was a good idea.

Guest

at least one of the cops should have prayed: "excuse me lord, while i make a shish kebab crucifix out of this kid."

Jamie McDonald

Also, not that it matters, but the church in question is a ghetto storefront church; if you're sufficiently distracted, like, say, if you're in the middle of a foot chase against a potentially dangerous suspect, you might not even know that it was one at all.

CaptainWillard

Good point...

Polite New Yorker

I'll bet next week's collection that if I drove the wrong way down Fifth Avenue in a stolen car and then ran into St. Patrick's Cathedral, the police would chase me there. And I'm pretty sure that Cardinal Mahoney would put the blame squarely on ME for violating the sanctity of that house of worship, not on the police who would be acting in good faith (no pun intended).

We are judged by the company we keep.