San Fernando Valley Pastor Attacked By Parishioner: Police

SAN FERNANDO, CA — A San Fernando Valley pastor active in anti-gang programs in the community is recovering from serious injuries he suffered in an assault Wednesday.

Rudy Trujillo, the pastor of the Faith Center in San Fernando was attacked near his church at about 11 a.m. Wednesday in the 700 block of North Maclay Avenue, according to the San Fernando Police Department.

“We really don’t know what the motive is, we just know that he was known to Pastor Rudy,” San Fernando Police Sgt. Irwin Rosenberg told KTLA.

The pastor's son Joshua Trujillo said a former parishioner attacked his father, striking him in the head and knocking him to the ground and resulting in a broken hip, according to Channel 9.

"He's a very strong man; strong in his faith," the victim's son, Joshua Trujillo, told KCAL9. "It just broke my heart. My initial reaction was just shock, anger."

KTLA quoted San Fernando's mayor, Robert Gonzales, calling the pastor "a strength in our community"and urging residents or witnesses to come forward with information about the assault.

No arrests have been reported. Police are reviewing cell phone video taken by witnesses.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report. Photo: Youtube screengrab