WASHINGTON (WTOP) – Metropolitan police arrested an Ethiopian man after he allegedly smashed a picture of St. Mary at a church in Northwest on Sunday.
The man reportedly grabbed a painting from a shelf outside an Ethiopian Orthodox church on Buchanan Street near 14th Street. Ethiopian Orthodox is a Christian religion that is the predominant religion in Ethiopia, NBC Washington says.
St. Mary is also known as the “Virgin Mary” and is considered in Christian religions to be the mother of Jesus.
The man also reportedly said, “Mary has no power over us.”
Shocked parishioners watched it happen and called the police. The suspect was not a member of the church, according to witnesses.