A Connecticut pastor tackled an armed carjacker and let him go after discovering he was just a kid – only to watch, stunned, as the teen jumped in and drove off with the car anyway.
Rev. Kenneth Moales Jr., 53, pastor of the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Bridgeport, had just pulled up to a restaurant in Upper Fells Point, Baltimore, Maryland, when the incident occurred, CBS News reports.
Before he could open the door, a gun-wielding young man appeared at his window with one clear intent: to steal his Audi.
In a split-second act of bravery, Moales leapt from the car and tackled the thief, pinning him to the ground for nearly 20 seconds.
Dramatic footage shows him managing to wrestle the gun from his hands.
But after realizing his suspected attacker was just 16, the pastor chose compassion over punishment, offering the teen a chance to walk away without pressing charges – an offer the boy refused as he lunged into the car and drove off.
‘I’m like, “Hey, relax. I’m a pastor, I’m not going to hurt you. We need to stop. This is crazy. I’m not going to press charges,”‘ Moales told Fox News, recalling what he said to the teen.
‘Before I knew it, he’s pushing me down, and believe it or not, that’s what hurts me more,’ he added. ‘Not that he robbed, took the car… this is such a Godless generation.’
A Connecticut pastor tackled an armed carjacker and let him go after discovering he was just a kid – but the 16-year-old suspect stole the car anyway after escaping from his grasp (pictured)
Rev. Kenneth Moales Jr. (pictured), 53, pastor of the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Bridgeport, had just pulled up to a restaurant in Upper Fells Point, Baltimore, Maryland , last month after officiating a funeral, planning to meet some friends for dinner
On June 30, just as Moales parked outside Angie’s Seafood Bar & Restaurant (pictured), the unidentified teenage suspect approached his silver Audi with two other unnamed males, pretending to need help with a phone before pulling out a gun
‘How could he not at least back off knowing I’m a pastor? He didn’t care.’
Moales parked outside Angie’s Seafood Bar & Restaurant along the 1700 block of East Pratt Street on June 30, preparing to meet friends for dinner after traveling to the city for a funeral.
It was then that the teenage suspect – whose identity has not been released due to his age – approached the idling silver vehicle with two other unnamed males, pretending to need help with a phone, according to ABC 7 News.
‘I knew something wasn’t right when I went to grab him with my car, he’s pulling up his ski mask over his face,’ Moales told CBS.
Just as the pastor rolled down his window, the attacker suddenly brandished a handgun, pointing it directly at his face and fiercely demanding he get out.
‘I’m thinking about one thing – life,’ Moales told Fox News, describing the flood of thoughts that rushed through his mind the moment he saw the barrel of the gun.
‘I’m thinking that I need to find a way to make sure I don’t die in the streets of Baltimore, Maryland,’ he added.
‘I’m thinking about my wife and my children. I’m trying to make sure I get back home.’
Despite his initial hesitation, Moales said he instantly switched into ‘fight mode’ the moment he opened the door – knowing that if he was going to fight for his life, it had to be right then and there.
Moales can be seen lunging out of the car – driven by adrenaline – and tackling the teen to the rain-soaked ground, pinning him beneath his weight for nearly 20 seconds (pictured)
After wrestling the gun free from the young attacker’s grasp, the pastor (pictured) realized he wasn’t facing a hardened criminal – but a teenage boy – and he offered him a chance to walk away without pressing charges
The offer wasn’t enough for the undeterred teen, who broke free, grabbed a sneaker he’d lost during the struggle, retrieved his gun and walked toward the Audi – all while the weapon was still pointed at Moales (pictured)
‘I’m an urban kid, and to see what he had, I saw his size and I knew I could take him, but in no way – I want to make it clear – I was not trying to be a hero,’ he told ABC 7.
At that moment, the teenage carjacker aimed the gun against Moales’ chest before pistol whipping him in the head, sparking a sudden and intense struggle captured on video.
In footage obtained by News 12 Conneticut, Moales can be seen lunging out of the car and tackling the teen to the rain-soaked ground, pinning him beneath his weight for nearly 20 seconds.
‘He got something he wasn’t expecting,’ Moales told WBAL TV. ‘He got quite a few punches to the face. I actually wrestled to get the gun out of his hand.’
‘Even after all of that – after I had let him go and given him the chance to not face charges – he still drove off in my car,’ the pastor told News 12.
‘I’m more hurt, as an African American pastor, that once I let him know that I was a pastor, that he didn’t care,’ he added to ABC 7. ‘He had no reverence for me, to honor the office of a pastor.’
Moales escaped with cuts and bruises and was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to a statement on Facebook from Crisis Communications Manager Tiffani Palmer.
Once at the hospital, the pastor called his wife Ena Moales, who, after confirming he was okay, came to understand why he had fought back, ABC 7 reported.
Instead of being hurt over his stolen car, Moales said: ‘I’m more hurt, as an African American pastor, that once I let him know that I was a pastor, that he didn’t care’ (pictured: Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Bridgeport, CT)
The 16-year-old boy drove off as the pastor, bewildered, rose from the ground – seemingly defeated by the turn of events (pictured)
‘When someone has a gun, you just obey and get out the way, and preserve your life,’ she told the outlet.
‘But after he explained it to me, I understood why. There was a chance that the gunman could have shot him anyway.’
Just hours after the carjacking, officers found Moales’ Audi in the 600 block of South Broadway, where the drivers attempted to bail when authorities tried to stop the vehicle, according to CBS.
The 16-year-old suspect – whom Moales has said he has already forgiven – was arrested, along with a 15-year-old and 19-year-old Mehkai Tindal, WBAL TV reported.
‘He’s placed materialism over my life, and unfortunate for him, he picked the wrong car,’ the pastor told CBS.
According to the outlet, charging documents revealed that authorities found car keys for multiple vehicles inside Tindal’s backpack.
The juveniles were booked on auto theft charges, though their current status remains unclear.
Moales escaped with cuts and bruises and was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries (pictured: Moales with wife and children)
The 16-year-old suspect – whom Moales has said he has already forgiven – was arrested, along with a 15-year-old and 19-year-old Mehkai Tindal
The juveniles were booked on auto theft charges, though their current status remains unclear. As for Tindal, he was already awaiting trial on separate assault charges at the time of the incident. He is now being held without bail (pictured: Moales)
Tindal is already awaiting trial on separate assault charges at the time of the incident. He is now being held without bail.
‘I have forgiven the young man – but this violent crime just shows me that I need to work even harder to help young people right here in Bridgeport, because a lot of these kids are hopeless and this problem is not unique to Baltimore,’ Moales told News 12.
