Man accused of bringing loaded gun, 100 rounds of ammo to Houston church service

HOUSTON - A 23-year-old man was arrested after police say he went to a Downtown Houston church service with a loaded gun and 100 rounds of ammunition, but was stopped when a security team member tackled him as he reached for his weapon.

According to court records, Emmanuel Ahsono Mbwavi was charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

The backstory:

According to court records, the incident occurred on March 15 at Eden Church, which conducts services at POST Houston in Downtown Houston on Sunday mornings.

According to court records, a church security guard member saw Mbwavi in the building wearing a backpack and was keeping an eye on him because of a previous incident two months before in which he had passed out "concerning" flyers and was asked to leave.

The guard told police that he saw Mbwavi following a pastor into the bathroom and then walk in and out three times. He reportedly then disappeared into the crowd.

Another pastor then approached Mbwavi and was speaking with him when the guard noticed Mbwavi holding the grip of a pistol that was tucked into his pocket, court documents state.

Mbwavi allegedly tried to pull out the gun, but the hammer got stuck on his pants, and the guard tackled him to the ground, according to court documents.

Church members helped hold him down until officers arrived.

According to court documents, the .22 caliber revolver was loaded with six live rounds, and 100 other rounds were found in his backpack. He also allegedly had a note on his phone about killing the pastor he had been following around.