LITTLE ROCK — Two gunmen barged into a Little Rock church Sunday morning and robbed 17 members of the congregation during Sunday School, police said.
No one was injured at the Third Baptist Missionary Church, at 3412 West 17th St., where church members, including seven children, were in Sunday School about 10:30 a.m.
No arrests had been made as of Sunday night, Little Rock Police spokesman Lt. Terry Hastings said.
Hastings said that while churches have become frequent targets for burglaries, this is the first time he has seen a robbery during services.
“I can’t think of one where they’ve robbed a church service at all,” Hastings said.
Ernest Evans, a pastor with the church, said his 12-year-old daughter was sitting in the back pew when the gunmen came through the doors.
“They just pointed the gun at her face and kept telling everyone to get down,” said Evans, whose 9-yearold daughter was also in the church. “[My children] have never been around violence or anything. It’s messed them up.”
The unknown black men, wearing black masks and hoodies, entered the church with handguns and ordered everyone to get down on the floor, Evans said. One man watched the door and the other collected “something from everyone,”including jewelry, wallets and cell phones, Evans said.
Evans said they stole his wedding ring and wallet and “everyone got a chance to see the gun in their face.”
Evans said the children at the church for Sunday School were three girls - ages 9, 10 and 12 - and four teenagers.
The suspects, including a third person who stayed outside the church, fled on foot after about three minutes, with one shooting a round into the air, Evans said. Police are looking for three suspects, Hastings said.
Though there are several houses nearby, the church sits somewhat isolated, near where West 17th Street dead ends after it intersects with South Martin Street. The church is between a gravel parking lot and a small, open field, across the street from a wooded lot. It is less than a half-mile fromStephens Elementary School on West 18th Street.
“I don’t know what the world is coming to, to come and rob a church on Sundaymorning,” Evans said.
Sunday School at the church runs from 10 a.m. to shortly before its 11 a.m. worship service. There are no evening Sunday services.
Hastings said criminals usually do not disturb church services because they don’t want to “run the risk of running into a law enforcement officer.”
“Church services were sacred,” Hastings said. “We’ve reached a point where nothing’s sacred anymore.”
The Rev. Elmo Johnson, who has been the head pastor of the church for 12 years, said it has been the victim of multiple burglaries, but never a robbery of the congregation. A few weeks ago, Johnson said, a man cutting grass at the church was robbed.
“I’ve been asking for police patrol,” Johnson said. “They come through here, but I need more.”
Hastings said he didn’t know the history of crimes at the church, but said it’s “a pretty high-call neighborhood.”
“There’s several patrol districts, and we’ve had some special assignments in that area working,” Hastings said.
Though crime in the area is high, Hastings said, police do not know whether the robbers are from the area. Because the robbery was a three-man operation, Hastings said, police think it was not a random act.
“These guys planned on doing this robbery, and obviously they thought about it,” Hastings said. “... They’re out for money and nothing else.”
Johnson said he’d like to have an officer at the church on Sundays.
“If I don’t, they’re going to do this again, and next time, they might shoot someone,” Johnson said.
Hastings said larger churches in the city hire offduty officers, primarily for traffic control.
Despite the fear that members may have going forward, Evans said, there are no plans to close the church.
“We’re not going to let foolish people prevent us from doing what God called us to do,” Evans said.
Front Section, Pages 1 on 09/12/2011