A pastor in the United States of America, Bishop Lamor Miller-Whitehead, his wife and members of his church were robbed of jewelry that was worth $400,000 during a live-streamed church service on Sunday.
It was reported that three thieves were caught on tape barging into Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministry on Remsen Ave. near Avenue D in Canarsie about 11:15am on Sunday.
When the armed marauders appeared, the stunned Whitehead, who was wearing a clerical collar, burgundy vestments with gold trim and a long gold necklace, stopped his sermon and crouched down, saying, “Yo, all right, all right, all right” as he lay on the floor, video obtained by the Daily News shows.
According to the video, only his legs and feet can be seen on the recording as he lay on the stage as the men bent over him and rifled his pockets.
The armed men, who can be seen in the video dressed in black and carrying handguns, removed the expensive bling from Whitehead and his wife, police and the bishop said.
Another man seen on the video sitting with what appears to be a prayer book watches impassively as the crime goes down.
The robbers took off in a white Mercedes-Benz and are still being sought, police said.
After they were gone, the pastor gets up, his collar askew, and walks out of frame in the video.
Later, he took to social media to put the crime in context.
“I was born without jewelry, jewelry don’t make me,” Whitehead said after the attack in a live video to his 1.3 million Instagram followers.
He said on the broadcast that the congregation is “traumatised” after the incident.
“I ain’t never scared, and I’m not up here being boastful or talking bad about nobody, but you have these women and children crying still,” he said. That’s not gangster. That’s a layup, like, ‘Oh, I robbed a church.’ You don’t get no points for that.”
Whitehead said the robbery would not affect his preaching in the future.
“We’re pushing, we’re still doing what we need to do,” Whitehead said. “I’m not a person from the suburbs; I’m from Brooklyn, I’m from the city. I understand the streets. This bishop, I’m not scared.”
