A California family was shocked on Saturday when the hearse containing their deceased loved one was stolen from in front of their church.
The LAPD reported that the hearse was left running with the casket inside, and a man commandeered the vehicle.
The crime occurred in front of Ebenezer Baptist Church at 4901 Avalon Blvd in South LA at around 11am. Witnesses say an older man jumped into the driver's seat of the hearse and took off while the funeral director was inside the church arranging flowers.
Mourners followed the vehicle and managed to get the man to pull over, LAPD Sgt. Fillippo told KTLA-5.
A physical and verbal argument erupted, although no one was injured. The suspect, who has not been identified, is expected to face auto theft charges and undergo a mental health evaluation.
Ebenezer Baptist First Lady Shirley Little said the funeral was for Jonté Lee Reed, 19, and suffered only a minor delay.
"Even with all of that occurring, the service for this gentleman was only 30 minutes late and it was nice,'' she told the Los Angeles Times. She could not recall a similar incident during the church's 75-year history.
"This is truly one for the books," she admitted.
Unfortunately, a similar event occurred last month in Sydney, Australia. While the funeral director was getting a trolley to move the casket from the hearse into the Wentworth Falls Arts Centre, a man jumped from the bushes into the driver's seat.
Family members chased the vehicle, which inadvertently pulled down a one-way street and was trapped. Police later confirmed that the man was an escaped nursing home patient with dementia.
The funeral for 52-year-old Seth Richardson went ahead as planned.
