Posted on 10/26/2006 5:41:48 PM PDT by SkyPilot
SALEM, Ore. - A man ranting about "the blood" burst into a church sanctuary during a service, sloshed fuel onto people and started a fire, police and church officials said Thursday.
Some parishioners were able to smother the flames with their coats while another group tackled the man, said the Rev. Scott Erickson, pastor of the Peoples Church. Two older women from the congregation were burned when their clothing caught fire.
"He ... was yelling things about the blood, and then he began to sprinkle the fluid and light it," Erickson said. "He was making slurs about things that are most precious to us."
On Thursday, prosecutors said Kam Shing Chan, also known as Daniel Chan, 53, was held on charges of attempted aggravated murder, attempted assault, arson and reckless burning. Prosecutors, who did not suggest a motive, said the Salem man was to appear in court Friday.
Sheriff's Deputy Kevin Rau said the man was also suspected of hijacking a cab to get there. The cabdriver had been threatened with a knife and had a slight neck wound, authorities said.
About 300 people were in the church, said the Rev. Sam Miller, who was conducting the service Wednesday night. No one in the church had ever seen the man before, he said.
One injured woman's hair and back caught fire, and she had to be rolled on the carpet to get the flames out, Erickson said. Salem Hospital reported she was treated in the emergency room and released.
The flames burned another woman's dress but was quickly extinguished, Erickson said.
"This is all very upsetting," he said. "This won't deter us from having services. We'll go on, and we can assure everyone that they are safe here."
The Peoples Church was closed Thursday as the sheriff's department investigated what it called vandalism and arson, Erickson said. He said the Pentecostal church, a member of the General Council of the Assemblies of God, would be open for Sunday services.
Reckless burning?
WHAT! If this had been a synagogue or a mosque every news station around the world would have picked it up! The news media's bias is irksome.
Salem Oregon, If it had been salem massachusetts he could have been charged with witchcraft.
Obviously the man is crazy as a bed bug.
Oregon.....that paragon of tolerance. Just ask all the hippies.
Salem Oregon, If it had been salem massachusetts he could have been charged with witchcraft.
ifit had been in DC, it would have been overlooked for several elections
There are stranger things there than just hippies.
I cant agree with that. washington Dc has more churches per capita than just about anywhere in the country, probably 20% of the land there is owned by one church or another,mostly Catholic. Black preachers abound there and they take their churches seriously.
Build a man a fire, and he will be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he will be warm for the rest of his life.
I was just runnng the criminal aspect of that through my fried brain and thought of DC, and the Kennedys, Studds and Foleys there in
Paging Arthur Brown...
"Build a man a fire, and he will be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he will be warm for the rest of his life."
Actually, if he survives the burning his ability to maintain heat decreases and he loses heat rapidly. If he doesn't survive, well Who he knows in this life will determine if he is "overly" warm in the next.
The article doesn't mention much about the squirrel turd (ie.. "nutty".) Apparently this miscreant was convicted of drowning his five year old daughter, robbing his work, and some other things.. but was sentenced to a mental facility.. released in 1995...
And now.. he is still just as nutty, and people are still allowed to languish in mental facilities enjoying the opportunity to pretend they are sane, so they can get out and harm again!
He should have been executed long ago.
Raymond
lol!
If you want to see something really funny, read the discussion on Yahoo about this article.
I guess he wasn't expecting that.
Sounds like his demon(s) didn't like The Blood. Bet this church has something going for it...
That is what I thought.
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