Photo Courtesy of Twitter
On Sunday, a pastor and the congregation at Leaders of Tomorrow International Churches were robbed at gunpoint as the church service was live-streamed in Canarsie (a section of Brooklyn).
Bishop Lamor Miller-Whitehead stood at the pulpit as three masked gunmen jacked the pastor and his wife of over $1 million worth of jewelry. In video footage of the incident, the 44-year-old flashy preacher could be heard saying, “Alright. Alright,” as he laid down on the floor in a prone position with his hands extended over his head. The robbers were off-camera but ran over to the surprisingly calm man, relieving him of his bling. Parishioners were shaken and crying after the ordeal.
Whitehead took to Instagram to share the harrowing incident with his followers.
“Yes, They Robbed Me In My Church,” the pastor wrote in the caption.
“When I [saw] them come into the sanctuary with their guns, I told everybody, ‘Get down,’ Whitehead said. “I didn’t know if they wanted to shoot the church up or if they were just coming for a robbery.”
He also said, “They took all of my wife’s jewelry and took all of my jewelry,” including his wedding band.
The pastor also thanked followers for their prayers.
The masked gunmen fled the Leaders of Tomorrow International Churches on foot, escaping the scene in a white Mercedes Benz. The Brooklyn-born pastor pursued suspects on foot before jumping into his Bentley, divulging that he saw the men remove their masks and change their clothes inside the vehicle.
Whitehead, known for flossing on Instagram, said that he understood that people may judge his $1 million worth of flashy jewelry and couture designer digs, but they are “material things.”
“I know a lot of people are gonna say, ‘Oh, why are you so flashy?’ ” he said.
“It’s not about me being flashy,” the pastor said. “It’s about me purchasing what I want to purchase. It’s my prerogative to purchase what I want to purchase.”
The 44-year-old self-proclaimed “Bishop” was born in Brooklyn, where he was raised by a “loving mother who was forced to be both mother and father as the result of the murder of Bishop Whitehead’s father, Arthur Miller– a politician and community activist.”
The pastor seemingly turned his life around from his wayward past. He claimed, “One of the most challenging times in Bishop Whitehead’s life came when he was illegally convicted and sentenced to 11 and 1/3rd to 34 years in prison.”
A Twitter post written by Noah Goldberg revealed five years of Whitehead’s prison term was for grand larceny and identity theft.
“The mayor keeps strange company. His friend Bishop Lamor Whitehead served five years in prison for identity fraud and grand larceny — then this week nearly negotiated the accused subway shooter’s surrender to the mayor himself.”
We’re glad no one was hurt during the robbery.