MELBOURNE, Fla. – A man barricaded himself inside a Melbourne Church Sunday, according to the Melbourne Police Department.
According to investigators, officers responded to the Archangel Michael Coptic Orthodox Church around 7:45 a.m. after a “disturbance between church officials and a known individual.” “The disturbance turned violent with the suspect battering one of the priests,” Melbourne PD said.
When officers arrived the suspect brandished a firearm and officers distracted the man long enough for church members to flee the area. “The suspect barricaded himself just outside the front door of the church, threatening suicide,” officers added.