Man Who Rushed Priest at Royal Oak Church Held at Psychiatric Hospital

ROYAL OAK, MI — Police in Royal Oak say they've had run-ins before with a 30-year-old man who screamed at and rushed a priest at the National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica Catholic Church Sunday. He was subdued by other worshippers during the 7 a.m. Mass and is now undergoing a psychiatric evaluation, police said.

“He approached the altar after yelling at the priest,” Royal Oak Police Chief Corrigan O’Donohue told The Daily Tribune. “Several parishioners grabbed him before he got to the altar.”

It's unclear what sparked the man's anger with the priest. He reportedly yelled "You are the one" at the priest and made other statements. O'Donohue said the man "apparently had some sort of mental breakdown."

Police received multiple calls from parishioners, O'Donohue said.

In 2000, the same man was accused of making a bomb threat at an elementary school, according to The Daily Tribune. He was 15 at the time, and juvenile records are sealed.

It's unclear if the man will be charged in the incident at the Little Flower Basilica.

“We have been in contact with his family and for now are just seeing that he first gets the help he needs,” O’Donohue said.

Patch file photo