Attorney General Pam Bondi described a violent disruption of a church service that led to federal indictments, saying the actions crossed clear legal lines and violated the constitutional right of Americans to worship freely and safely.

Bondi discussed the case during an exchange with Lara Trump, outlining how nine individuals allegedly coordinated their actions, traveled together, and stormed a church during a Sunday service, creating panic among parishioners and resulting in injuries.

“As the Minister starts preaching, Pastor Parnell is wonderful, the nicest man. He was shocked. They all come in. They were caravanning there, cars, bumper to bumper, all of them, the nine, we indicted, all caravanning together,” Bondi said.

“They storm in that church from all directions. Start screaming, chants in unison, horrible chants. One man screams, this ain’t the house of God. This is the house of the devil.”

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Bondi said the disruption caused widespread fear, particularly among children who were separated from their parents during the chaos.

“A little girl later recanted, recounted that she thought her mom and dad were going to be killed,” Bondi said.

“Parents were blocked from getting upstairs to get their children out of Sunday school.”

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She described parishioners attempting to flee the building while exits were blocked, leading to injuries.

“Some of the lucky women ran out the side door, falling on the ice, legs up in the air. One woman hurt her arm so badly she had to go to the hospital,” Bondi said.

“Parishioners were blocked from exiting the church.”

Bondi said video evidence captured the actions inside the church, including one individual confronting the pastor.

“Don Lemon on video, blocked one of them screaming, yelling at the pastor,” she said.

“That’s illegal in this country.”

She said the indictments were brought under federal law and emphasized that houses of worship are afforded specific legal protections.

“When we say, God bless America, we mean it. We’re going to protect America, and if you do that in any house of worship in this country, we’re going to find you, we’re going to indict you, and I’m going to prosecute you,” Bondi said.

Lara Trump asked Bondi to address claims that the individuals involved were exercising free speech rights under the First Amendment.

“And for the people who out there say, Oh, they had a First Amendment freedom of speech, they had a right to be there. What’s your response to that?” Trump asked.

Bondi responded by pointing to federal statute and the constitutional protections afforded to worshippers.

“Title 18 prevents that. That’s not accurate. This is a house of worship,” Bondi said.

“You also have a First Amendment right to worship freely and safely on a Sunday morning, all of those parishioners, so many of them thought they were going to be involved in a mass shooting. They didn’t know what was happening.”

She said the right to worship without fear applies across all faiths.

“People have the right to go to church, to synagogue, to a mosque, wherever you worship,” Bondi said.

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