A man who once attended a Pasadena church is accused of threatening the pastor and other members.
Bryan Barrera, 37, was detained after allegedly posting on Facebook that he would “take out both your pastor and everyone at the church” with “just one shot to the dome.”
According to investigators, Barrera specifically mentioned Pastor Lamont Melrose of Potter’s House Christian Church.
Barrera used to attend the church, according to police, but Melrose told Eyewitness News he hasn’t been in at least three years.
According to sources, Facebook alerted the FBI last week, which then told the Pasadena Police Department.
Barrera was arrested on November 21 and accused of making a terrorist threat, although he has already bailed out of jail.
A separate preacher informed police. Barrera had begun messaging him two years earlier, telling him that the folks of Potter’s House Christian Church had their souls stolen by the devil and that he had been sent by God to “show no mercy” on them.
In a search request, police link to a Facebook post from October 20 in which Barrera poses with a gun and a protective vest. Barrera is a convicted felon, so the warrant states that he was not allowed to possess the firearm.
Court documents reviewed by Eyewitness News find no evidence that Barrera was ever convicted of a crime. His criminal record is largely comprised of misdemeanors, including an assault allegation from last year in which he is accused of striking his mother in the home they share and then pushing a responding officer.
Barrera received eight months of deferred adjudication, but the court terminated his probation after only four months.
In reaction to the threats, police say numerous church members have brought guns to Sunday services.
Melrose said there are security precautions in place in case Barrera shows up at the church, which he is prohibited from doing as a condition of posting bond, according to court documents.
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