Church service disrupted in Lanham, man later accused of carjacking

A Sunday service at Mt. Calvary Baptist Church of Lanham turned unsettling when a man identified as Akmed Koroma walked up to the altar during worship, came behind Bishop Charles Cato, put his arm on the pastor’s shoulder and leaned over saying, “amen, amen,” before church security escorted him away.

Cato was preaching to a full congregation when Koroma approached unexpectedly, and the pastor said he did not see him coming. No one inside the church was reported injured, but Prince George’s County Council member Wanika Fisher, who was attending the service, said the atmosphere changed immediately because worshippers feared the encounter could have turned violent.

The disruption did not end at the church door. Court records and the reports say Koroma later was accused of carjacking a vehicle that still had a person inside, then crashing it after the victim jumped from the moving car to escape. FOX 5 reported that the victim had been sitting in his mother’s car preparing to go to church when Koroma got in the driver’s seat and drove away. The victim suffered cuts and bruises after jumping from the vehicle, and police said the crash happened at Whitfield Chapel Road and Annapolis Road in Lanham.

Koroma was ordered held without bond on the carjacking charge, and FOX 5 reported that he also faces kidnapping charges. Judge Erik Nyce ordered him held without bond on Tuesday, and Koroma is scheduled to return to court on May 20. The reports describe Koroma as a 32-year-old Air Force veteran who has been arrested several times this year, and a judge said he suspected Koroma may be dealing with mental health issues.

For church leaders and congregants, the episode exposed the narrow margin between routine worship and a public-safety crisis. The security response inside Mt. Calvary Baptist Church stopped the immediate disruption, but the later carjacking showed how quickly danger can spill from a sanctuary into the street. Prince George’s County police maintain an open-data portal for crime incidents, including robberies, stolen vehicles and traffic accidents, while Maryland State Police’s Central Records Division serves as the state repository for crash reports and crime statistics.

The broader lesson is difficult to miss for houses of worship across Prince George’s County. CISA says targeted violence against houses of worship remains a real threat and offers a security guide for faith communities, a reminder that churches are trying to protect open, welcoming spaces without turning them into fortresses.