Nationwide — Roy Powell, a 72-year-old African American pastor from Mobile, Alabama, has been charged with first-degree robbery after he reportedly took a man’s book bag at gunpoint and hit him with a pistol during an altercation.
Powell, who has been a pastor for 30 years at Cedar Street Missionary Baptist Church in nearby Saraland, was arrested but released from jail the following day. He did not respond to requests for comment.
The alleged victim said he was walking to the post office when Powell bumped into him on the sidewalk.
“He said, ‘you was in my way, I’m walking down the sidewalk,’ and we had words back and forth,” he told WLBT.
According to the victim, Powell drove away after the argument but returned minutes later in a truck, this time armed with a gun. The man claims Powell hit him on the head with the weapon and took his book bag.
Court papers say Powell later came back to apologize. The victim, who didn’t know Powell was a pastor at the time, was shocked to learn about his background afterward.
“So, when I heard that, I was like ‘wow.’ I don’t know what to say. Just wow,” he said.
The case is ongoing as authorities investigate the incident.