SAN DIEGO — A woman is facing charges after police said she brought a baby and a gun into a California church, then threatened worshippers on Easter Sunday.
According to the San Diego Police Department, officers arrested Anna Conkey, 31, on charges of "making criminal threats and displaying a handgun in a threatening manner" in connection with the incident, which occurred just after noon Sunday during a service at the nondenominational Tsidkenu Church.
Female with handgun taken into custody earlier today after disrupting church service. See attached press release. pic.twitter.com/s5PUa0eNtq
— San Diego Police Department (@SanDiegoPD) April 21, 2019
Witnesses told KABC-TV that Conkey walked onstage with a 10-month-old baby in her arms, then began waving a handgun and threatened to blow up the building.
"She was saying craziness about the rapture not being real, and everyone going to hell," one witness, who was not identified, told KGTV.
Conkey then pointed the gun at the baby, witnesses told KABC. That's when churchgoers took action, disarming and tackling her, the station reported.
"We got the baby away from her," said worshipper David Michael Miller. "A few minutes after that, the cops came in. She was trying to run away or something, so a cop tackled her through a row of chairs."
Police said they arrested Conkey and determined that her handgun wasn't loaded.
This is the shooting/bomb threat suspect Anna Conkey. She is an NBC 7 former part-time digital producer. Police say 4 parishioners tackled her to the ground after she threatened to blow up a Clairemont church during Easter Sunday service while holding her infant son @nbcsandiego pic.twitter.com/kGfF5pJAWc
— Danica McAdam (@DanicaTVNews) April 22, 2019
"Due to the statements made by the suspect, a sweep of the facility along with the suspect's vehicle was conducted by a bomb detection canine," police said in a news release. "Nothing was found, and the area was determined to be safe."
The baby and Conkey's 5-year-old daughter "have been taken into protective custody and will be evaluated by Child Welfare Services," police said.
Officers just arrived on scene during our 11:00pm hit to search the church bomb threat suspect, Anna Conkey’s home. @nbcsandiego Police say Conkey threatened a Clairemont Church’s congregation during their Easter Sunday service. pic.twitter.com/UYuYo5EIZD
— Danica McAdam (@DanicaTVNews) April 22, 2019
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