Authorities are seeking the public’s help to identify a suspect who was caught on camera stealing a cross from a church in Boyle Heights during Holy Week.
The incident took place at the St. Camillus Center for Spiritual Care on April 17, according to a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department. The suspect entered the church shortly before 3 p.m. and grabbed the cross from the pulpit before leaving, the spokesperson said.
The incident was caught on a security camera at the church and shared by LAPD’s Hollenbeck Division.
Father Christopher Ponnet, longtime pastor at St. Camillus Center for Spiritual Care, said the incident was disheartening for the church’s community.
“We were all in shock when we saw it was stolen and there’s been a sense of sadness here ever since,” said Ponnet. “We’re not seeking prosecution, we just want it back because the cross is sacred to us.”
The cross is gold-plated, Ponnet said, and contained eucharistic bread housed in a gold container at the time of the theft. He said community members at the church are praying for the cross to be returned.
Anyone with information on the case is encouraged to contact LAPD Investigator K. Hanna via email at 35182@lapd.online or by calling (323) 224-0108.
