The Black Collar Crime Series relies on public news stories and publicly available information for its content. If any incorrect information is found, please contact Bruce Gerencser. Nothing in this post should be construed as an accusation of guilt. Those accused of crimes are innocent until proven guilty.
Wilmer Cruz, pastor of Inglesia Cristiana Evangelica Church in Lilburn,Georgia, was arrested Tuesday after he and his wife and two children assaulted police officers looking for a runaway teenager. His wife and two sons were also arrested. According to one news report, the runaway was pregnant by one of Pastor Cruz’s sons.
A minister in Lilburn, Georgia was arrested alongside his wife and sons after they attacked police officers at church.
Atlanta’s WSB-TV reported Tuesday that police in the Gwinnett County church were looking for a runaway teenager who was said to be at the Inglesia Cristiana Evangelica Church when an altercation ensued.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Wilmer and Cristina Cruz, the minister and his wife of the church, were arrested along with their 16 and 17-year-old sons after not cooperating with the officers who came to the church looking for the missing girl, who was later returned to her parents. In the ensuing fight, Cristina Cruz took one of the two officers’ Tasers, and Wilmer and one of their sons pinned an officer against a door.
The parents and their eldest son were charged as adults and are being held without bond, while the 16-year-old son was charged as a juvenile.
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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution adds:
“I’ve never seen something that could have been so innocent escalate so quickly because of lack of cooperation,” Lilburn police Lt. Tim Allen told Channel 2.
Authorities said they got a call about a missing girl in the 4800 block of Lawrenceville Highway. They went to rescue the girl, who was in a tan Cadillac Escalade, but things escalated.
“As the officers walked toward the vehicle, several people approached the officers,” Chief Bruce Hedley said in a statement. “Officers repeatedly instructed people to stand back and continued to attempt to speak to the missing juvenile in the parked car.”
Hedley said onlookers didn’t listen, leading to an altercation. Some officers were kicked and choked, he said.
At one point, when an officer put his Taser in Wilmer Cruz’s back, Cristina Cruz grabbed it from the officer’s hand and pointed it at him, video obtained by Channel 2 shows. After Cristina Cruz was arrested, Wilmer Cruz and Wilmer Cruz Jr. were seen pinning an officer against a door. One of the sons was also seen on video taking an officer’s radio.
“At some point during the scuffle, the other officer tried to call for backup but couldn’t because (someone) was on the radio talking on it,” Allen said.
As for the missing girl, she was returned to her mother.“They had my daughter. They won’t let her have communication with me,” the mother told Channel 2. “The lady at the church was yelling at me. They said they had custody from (the Division of Family and Children Services) but it’s not true.”
WSB adds:
A temporary restraining order was issued for a Gwinnett County minister’s wife a week before she was seen on video brawling with police officers during a missing child rescue, court documents show.
Ana Cardenas Robles filed for the order against Cristina Cruz on March 19, alleging the minister’s wife stalked her and threatened her with deportation and refused to let her have contact with her teenage daughter.
Robles told the court the Cruz family took her daughter, who is pregnant by one of their sons. The family told Channel 2 Action News that the Division of Family and Children Services granted them guardianship.
A restraining order was also filed against Wilmer Cruz, but it was dismissed by a judge, according to court records.
Cristina Cruz is not allowed within 200 feet of Robles, according to the order. A hearing is scheduled for Thursday.
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An April 3, 2018 Atlanta Journal-Constitution report adds:
When a Lilburn police officer responded to a missing person rescue call at a church last month, he had no idea he’d practically be fighting for his life.
“I was slammed against the glass door, hitting my head very hard against the glass,” Sgt. Ryan Long said in at a preliminary hearing for the Cruz family on Tuesday. “Mr. (Wilmer) Cruz was choking me to the point I couldn’t breathe.”
On March 25, Long and several other officers fought with Cruz, 38, his wife Cristina Cruz and their 17-year-old son Wilmer Cruz Jr. in the parking lot of the family’s church, Iglesia Cristiana Evangelica. The brawl was caught on police body cameras and cellphones.
Authorities said they got a call about a missing girl in the 4800 block of Lawrenceville Highway. They went to rescue the girl, who was in a tan Cadillac Escalade, but things escalated.
Long testified he put his Taser in Wilmer Cruz’s back, but Cristina Cruz grabbed it from his hand and pointed it at the officer.
“I grabbed Mrs. Cruz by the arm and told her she was under arrest for grabbing my Taser,” Long said. “She refused and would only say: ‘Jesus love(s) me.’”
After Cristina Cruz was arrested, Wilmer Cruz and Wilmer Cruz Jr. were seen in the video pinning Long against a door, the officer testified. One of the sons was also seen on video taking an officer’s radio.
Long testified the family likely fought back because they believed: “Officers were not allowed to fight back against them.” The family also threatened to kill his mom, Long said.
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