Police have arrested two brothers who broke into a church naked, barricaded themselves inside and trashed it.
Paul Vincent Vielkind, 24, and Brandon Joseph Vielkind, 22, have been charged with burglary and felony vandalism after the bizarre incident at Harvest Church in Riverside, California.
They used a fake rifle to smash their way in before wreaking havoc inside, destroying musical and electrical equipment.
Their mother has claimed her boys were sticking up for her and said they were naked because they wanted to ‘express their fearlessness’.
Paul Vincent Vielkind (left), 24, and Brandon Joseph Vielkind (right), 22, have been charged with burglary and felony vandalism after the bizarre incident at Harvest Church in Riverside, California
On Wednesday, a security guard at a neighboring business reported two men approaching the church with what looked like a rifle.
They entered through a glass door and the church was unoccupied at the time and the Irvine Police Department responded with the SWAT team.
Officers were able to watch a video feed of the suspects thanks to surveillance cameras inside the church.
After two hours inside, at around 9.20pm, the suspects threw a smoke bomb outside of the church and fled the building, one without clothing and one partially clothed.
The pair’s mother Rhonda Hodges (center with the brothers left and right and her husband Brent Hodges) said they were ‘sticking up for her’ when they broke in because a member of the ministry was racially discriminating her
They used a fake rifle to smash their way into the church (above) before wreaking havoc inside, destroying musical and electrical equipment
Neither got far and both were taken into custody as officers worked to clear the scene and search for weapons.
No one was else was found inside the building, and police found no live weapons at the scene – however, what appears to be a replica rifle was found.
The church’s pastor is popular Evangelical figure Greg Laurie. He regularly appears in in the media and has written more than 70 books.
He released a statement on his website saying there was no service when the pair broke in and his family were not home.
The Irvine Police Department released a statement saying the force is investigating any possible connection the suspects may have to the church.
But in an interview with the Orange County Register, the brothers’ mother Rhonda Hodges said they had gone to the church to voice their concerns that she was being racially discriminated against for being a Native American.
She said her sons were sticking up for her, and added: ‘In some bizarre way, while they were experimenting with drugs, perhaps they were trying to express their displeasure.
‘They wanted to express their fearlessness by walking into the church naked.’
The church’s pastor is popular Evangelical figure Greg Laurie. He regularly appears in in the media and has written more than 70 books