Police: Man hits priest, barricades self in Florida church

MELBOURNE, Fla. (AP) — A man struck a priest and barricaded himself inside a Florida church on Sunday before he was arrested by police, officials said.

News outlets say that police officers in Melbourne, Florida, arrived to the Archangel Michael Coptic Orthodox Church early Sunday in response to an incident involving church officials and a man.

Police say the man hit one of the priests and was seen with a firearm when officers arrived at the scene. Members of the church were able to escape, but the man barricaded himself near the front door of the church and threatened to kill himself, reports said.

SWAT members were at the scene negotiating with the man, who was finally arrested more than four hours later. Detectives are continuing to investigate to determine what charges he will face.

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