Joe Harker
A bishop who was live-streaming a sermon was caught up in a robbery in which armed thieves took more than $1 million worth of jewellery from him.
Bishop Lamor Whitehead was giving a sermon at the Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministries church in Canarsie, Brooklyn, New York when a trio of gunmen stormed in.
The New York Police Department confirmed that the robbery, which took place at around 11.14am on 24 July, saw the three armed robbers make off with more than $1 million in goods stolen from Bishop Whitehead and his wife.
Police said the three robbers 'displayed firearms and demanded property' from the 44-year-old pastor and his 38-year-old spouse.
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They then took jewellery which had a total value of $1 million from the couple before making their escape from the church on foot.
Officers say the robbers continued their escape when they got into a white Mercedes Benz and were last seen traveling east on Avenue D, Manhattan.
Neither bishop Whitehead nor his wife were injured in the armed robbery and the police investigation is still ongoing.
In the livestream, Whitehead can be seen to say 'alright, alright' when the armed trio burst in, quickly getting down on his hands and knees as masked men pass by the camera.
The footage later showed one of the robbers holding a gun on Whitehead as he is lying down.
Posting to Instagram to speak in the aftermath of the robbery, Whitehead said the robbers took all of his wife's jewellery, his bishop's ring, wedding ring and bishop's chain.
He said: "I said, 'Alright, alright, alright,' pretty much stating that I'm not going to do anything because I know you're coming for me. You're coming straight to me.
"I don't want my parishioners hurt. I've got women and children there. As I got down, one went to my wife and took all her jewellery and had the gun in front of my 8-month-old baby's face."
The bishop believes he was specifically targeted, saying 'they knew' where to search him for his valuables as when they had him down on the ground they started 'tapping my neck'.
The bishop also said what the cameras didn't pick up was around 100 other people in the room listening to his sermon who were also held at gunpoint, including training their 'guns on my deacons'.
He also said he tried to chase the suspects after they left the building with he and his wife's belongings.
Whitehead said his church was 'traumatised' after the armed robbers burst in and stole his valuables at gunpoint, and that his daughter was 'not even talking'.
He said he hoped the trio of armed robbers would turn themselves over to the authorities.
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