San Diego churchgoers tackle woman who threatened to blow up church

Worshippers at a San Diego church tackled an armed woman who entered with a baby Sunday and threatened to blow up the building, according to CNN.

San Diego Police said they arrived within two minutes of a 911 call at Mt. Everest Academy, which nondenominational Church Tsidkenu leases for services, according to CNN. The unidentified woman reportedly walked onto the auditorium’s stage while waving the handgun and threatening to blow up the church, according to police.

{mosads}”She was saying stuff that was kind of delusional. I was more worried about getting my family out of there,” churchgoer Ronald Farmer said, according to the network.

Members of the congregation were able to take the baby from the woman and wrest the gun away before tackling her, according to San Diego Police Officer Dino Delimitros. Police brought in a bomb-sniffing dog, who found nothing in either the building or her car, and police said her gun was not loaded. The woman’s five-year-old daughter was later found to be healthy and unhurt, and both children are now in protective custody, according to CNN.

Police had already increased patrols around houses of worship on Sunday due to the series of deadly bombings that killed over 200 people in Sri Lanka, many of them attending Easter services, according to CNN.

“At this time, there is nothing to indicate a connection to San Diego. However, in an abundance of caution, you will see extra patrols at houses of worship,” police Chief David Nisleit said on Twitter.

We are monitoring the situation in Sri Lanka and communicating with our local, state and federal partners. At this time, there is nothing to indicate a connection to San Diego. However, in an abundance of caution, you will see extra patrols at houses of worship.

— David Nisleit (@ChiefNisleit) April 21, 2019