Church Ushers Chase Armed Robber Who Swiped Collection Plate: Police

A man is in custody after police say he swiped the Sunday collection plate of a Camden church at gunpoint but then dropped the cash after parishioners gave chase.

Brother Karl Koenig told NBC10 the ordeal began on Sunday when he and two ushers were taking collections from the third service at St. Anthony of Padua Church on the 2800 block of River Road.

Koenig says he was carrying around $500 in cash from the side door of the church to a nearby rectory around 1:30 p.m. when a masked gunman suddenly approached them. According to Koenig, the man was silent as he pointed his gun.

“He was standing there,” Koenig said. “Not a word.”

The suspect took off after Koenig and his ushers handed him the cash. Much to the gunman’s surprise however, the two ushers immediately chased after him.

“They didn’t need any prodding at all,” Koenig said.

As the ushers chased the suspect around the church, Koenig said another parishioner driving an SUV also joined the pursuit.

While the robber managed to escape by jumping a fence, he ended up dropping all of the stolen money. Koenig believes he would have gotten away with the cash if not for the ushers and parishioner.

“They were the heroes,” Koenig said.

After an investigation, police identified the suspect as 20-year-old Delvonte Olmo-Pagan. Pagan surrendered to police Monday night. Officials have not yet revealed the specific charges against him.

 

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