Three People Arrested After Disrupting Prayer Group in Southern Texas

A group gathered in Harlingen Texas – a city in the southernmost tip of the Lonestar State and is only a few miles from the Mexican border – to pray for the country. Police say they recieved a call around 5:30 on November 7 that a man had showed up and he had a knife and was threatening the group. Witnesses say that the group had gathered and was praying for America when a man showed up and began throwing eggs at them. The man has been identified as John Rivas.

The group asked Rivas to stop, he didn’t, and then pulled out a knife. He left before police arrived but the officers quickly found and tried to arrest him. He began resisting arrest by going stiff and refusing to put his hands behind his back. Officers and Rivas struggled for a brief moment, but eventually he was cuffed and police found the serrated kitchen knife Rivas was using.

He was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a $30,000 bond and second-degree felony, as well as two misdemeanors resisting arrest, a $2500 bond, and disrupting a meeting, a $500 bond. Police say there is no record of Rivas being booked into Cameron County Detention Center, so he likely “bonded out”.

Police also say that two women were arrested for disrupting a meeting. 19-year-old Marilyn Lopez and 18-year-old Miliannie X. Ortiz-Ruiz were with Rivas and were screeching insults at the group of people. Both were given $500 for the charge, but were were released on their own recognizance.

There were some witnesses who said that this was a gathering to pray for Trump, but after the police department posted about it on their Facebook page the comments rolled in saying that wasn’t true. One person said, “I don’t know where your department got the idea that this was a Trump group. There were people from several churches there worshipping and praying for our great country. Period.”

Another person added, “I’m glad you guys arrested them; we have to show people like this that we don’t deal with that down here in the valley. But they weren’t gathering for Trump ….so before you label this about Trump (which the media will use to make people hate on them and feel sorry for the kids) just remember that the people at the gathering AND Trump supporters support law-enforcement 100%. By the way, we all do support Trump but still it has nothing to do with that …just saying lol.”

Sources: The Blaze, KSAT; Photo-The Blaze