Inset: Pastor Lorenz Roseman. Background: Surveillance video allegedly showing California church elder Elise McTaw being shoved down a set of cement steps by Pastor Lorenz Roseman (Facebook/Najee Ali/KTLA).
In California, a pastor faces serious allegations after reportedly shoving a church elder down concrete steps and out through a metal gate, resulting in his arrest. This incident, according to prosecutors and local activists, left the woman with several fractured bones. Now, she, along with fellow congregants, is demanding the pastor’s removal from his position.
“You could have killed her,” commented Najee Ali, a community activist with Project Islamic Hope, in a Facebook post on Monday, highlighting the gravity of the situation.
Ali, who was approached by the family of the alleged victim, Elise McTaw, to represent her interests, organized a press conference that day to urge the church to dismiss Pastor Lorenz Roseman.
“An elderly woman was pushed down the stairs, resulting in severe injuries, and now you’re facing legal charges,” Ali wrote on Facebook. “This is not something that will be brushed aside.”
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office confirmed to Law&Crime that Pastor Roseman, associated with Beulah Land Missionary Baptist Church, was taken into custody in October 2025. He allegedly pushed McTaw down the steps outside the church, located in Gardena within the South Bay area of Los Angeles County.
Charged with assault by means of force likely to cause significant bodily harm—a felony—Roseman was subsequently released on his own recognizance, as detailed in a criminal complaint available through Law&Crime.
The alleged offense “involved great violence, great bodily harm, threat of great bodily harm, and other acts disclosing a high degree of cruelty, viciousness, and callousness,” the complaint says.
Roseman has pleaded not guilty.
Ali describes McTaw on Facebook as a “senior citizen and longtime church elder” who was “violently pushed down a flight of church stairs.” Surveillance video posted online by Ali allegedly shows McTaw being shoved down the stairs by a male who is said to be Roseman. She allegedly suffered a broken wrist and toes from the fall.
“Following his arrest for assault … he continues to preach from the pulpit every Sunday,” Ali said. “Some Church members want him gone and question why he’s still preaching while criminal charges against him proceeds.”
Roseman told local CW affiliate KTLA in a statement that he had accused “influential members” of the Gardena church of “unethical or illegal activities” at the time of the alleged incident, but he didn’t explain what happened exactly.
“After conducting an investigation and confirming the allegations, I removed them from their positions,” Roseman alleged when asked about the case against him.
“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,” he said.
McTaw said at the Monday press conference that she is “not the same after being hurt by somebody that you trust and love,” per KTLA.
“He does not get to put his hands on anyone,” said churchgoer Dr. Ta-Taneisha Thames. “That is not okay. He has to go.”
The DA’s office says Roseman’s scheduled to appear in court on March 30 for a preliminary hearing.
