The head pastor of a California church is facing criminal charges after he was caught on surveillance video pushing an elderly woman down a set of cement stairs.
The footage captures Pastor Lorenz Roseman of Beulah Land Missionary Baptist Church in Gardena shoving a female church elder out a gate and down the short flight of steps last fall outside the house of worship.
The incident happened on Oct. 7, 2025.
Roseman was arrested and charged with assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury — a felony — and released on his own recognizance, according to a criminal complaint obtained by Law&Crime.
The complaint states that the incident “involved great violence, great bodily harm, threat of great bodily harm, and other acts disclosing a high degree of cruelty, viciousness, and callousness.”
Elsie McTaw, the injured party, said she fractured one of her wrists and some toes in the fall.
“I’m not the same after being hurt by somebody that you trust and love,” she told KTLA.
After Roseman was arrested, his position as head pastor was called into question.
Najee Ali, a community activist, posted a copy of the surveillance video on social media and shared that calls are continuing to mount among several members of the church for Roseman to step down.
“[T]he video i saw where you pushed an elderly woman down the stairs severely injuring her along with being arrested for it and currently facing criminal charges doesn’t look good especially with you still preaching from the pulpit despite several members of the church demanding you step down and justice for our injured sister,” Ali wrote on Facebook.
Some church members expressed they’d feel more comfortable with Roseman gone.
“He does not get to put his hands on anyone,” said churchgoer Dr. Ta-Taneisha Thames. “That is not okay. He has to go.”
Viewers reacting to Ali’s footage were quick to express outrage.
“Yeah, that video is crazy. He needs to get let go and arrested ASAP,” wrote Elena.
Another viewer, Crystal, added: “OMG. Whether there are two sides to every story or not, this elderly lady could have hit her head and suffered even more serious injuries. I know darn well he should not be returning to that church under these circumstances, and if he does, church members should protest.”
Crystal also addressed speculation circulating online that the woman, identified as McTaw, may have been holding a belt or attempting to strike the pastor.
“Even if she had a belt, as some claim, what this man did was unacceptable,” she wrote. “And you claim to be a pastor — a man of God? Nope. Criminal charges and his pastor status should be removed permanently. Talk about disgraced.”
But Ali quickly pushed back on those claims, writing, “Anyone saying she had a belt is an idiot. She has a car key chain in her hand. There’s no excuse for what the pastor did. I stand on that. Instead of people trying to find a way to justify and excuse what he did, they need to call for him to apologize.”
In a statement to KTLA, Roseman said the fate of his position was decided during a business meeting, where a majority of congregants in attendance voted to keep him on as head pastor. He also explained what led up to the confrontation between him and McTaw:
“The whole unfortunate event began when I was informed that certain influential members, who held positions of power, might be engaged in unethical or illegal activities. After conducting an investigation and confirming the allegations, I removed them from their positions.
When these individuals could not oust me through our church policies and procedures, they began to attack my character and weaponize the legal system against me. However, judges have dismissed these suits as frivolous and lacking standing.”
Roseman shared that he feels confident his name will be cleared in any future legal proceedings. He’s scheduled to appear in court on March 30 for a preliminary hearing in the assault case.
