Local

Man danced with men who entered church to pat them down

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Sunday church services were interrupted in Charlotte after a man and a teen brought a gun. The weapon was found after church members confronted the two and asked what they were doing at the First Haitian Church of Grace.

Michael Blake, 28, and Austin Hannon, 16, followed a woman inside during services and said they wanted to find God.

The members were wary because of the church shooting in Charleston and the fact that the men didn’t speak French or Haitian Creole.

Read our past coverage:

That’s when Eli Yacinthe stepped in. He came up with a unique plan to confront the two.

While he danced with them, he was really patting them down, checking for weapons. The two realized what he was doing and,thinking he was a cop, admitted to having the gun in their bag.

"In the church, I started opening it up. It's nothing but clothes, and the gun is at the bottom,” he said. “What went through my mind is that, ‘Oh, my God, we could all be dead here.' I had my kids in here with me.”

Police were already in the parking lot because someone called to report the suspicious pair.

Blake is charged with carrying a concealed weapon. Hannon is charged with possession of a firearm by a minor and carrying aconcealed weapon.

The congregation is scared by what unfolded, but Yacinthe said they will stay strong.

“All the bad guys are being bold. They are showing how bold they are in their crimes. We as Christians have to be bold as well,” he said.

Read more top trending stories on wsoctv.com: