A California pastor has been charged with assault after allegedly shoving a longtime church elder down a set of concrete steps outside Beulah Land Missionary Baptist Church in Gardena, California, prosecutors and community activists say.
Elise McTaw, described as a senior citizen and veteran church member, reportedly suffered multiple fractures, including to her wrist and toes, from the fall.
According to Najee Ali, a community activist with Project Islamic Hope, McTaw’s family asked him to advocate for the alleged victim.
Ali held a press conference Monday, calling for Pastor Lorenz Roseman to be removed from his pulpit.
“You could have killed her,” Ali said on Facebook, highlighting the seriousness of the incident. “We’re not going to sweep this under the rug.”
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office confirmed that Roseman was arrested in October 2025 and charged with assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury, a felony.
He was released on his own recognizance.
The criminal complaint described the offense as involving “great violence, great bodily harm, threat of great bodily harm, and other acts disclosing a high degree of cruelty, viciousness, and callousness.”
Roseman has pleaded not guilty, Law & Crime reported.
Surveillance footage from Oct. 7 posted online by Ali appears to show a man identified as Roseman shoving McTaw through a metal gate and down the church’s cement steps.
McTaw can be seen attempting to steady herself on the gate before losing her balance and falling. Ali pointed to the brace McTaw wore during the press conference as evidence of her injuries.
Church members have publicly questioned why Roseman returned to preaching just two days after his arrest.
Ali and others say many congregants are calling for his dismissal.
“This is what the pastor did. That’s why the members of the church are asking him to step down,” Ali said.
Congregant Dr. Ta-Taneisha Thames added, “He does not get to put his hands on anyone. That is not okay. He has to go.”
Roseman has framed the incident within church politics.
In a statement to KTLA, he claimed that he had removed influential church members suspected of “unethical or illegal activities” and alleged that those individuals retaliated by attacking his character and using the legal system against him.
He did not directly address McTaw’s injuries or the surveillance footage.
“However, judges have dismissed these suits as frivolous and lacking standing,” he said.
McTaw, speaking at the press conference, described the emotional impact of the assault.
“I’m not the same after being hurt by somebody that you trust and love,” she said.
The DA’s office confirmed that Roseman is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on March 30.
The case has sparked debate over accountability within religious institutions.
Critics say the incident highlights risks when church leadership self-polices serious misconduct.
Supporters of Roseman claim a majority of congregants voted to keep him in the leadership role, though details about the vote and participation have not been publicly disclosed.
Community members gathered outside the church on Sunday to demand action.
The protest emphasized both the physical harm and the perceived moral failure of leadership to protect vulnerable members.
WATCH:
