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Man arrested after vandalizing St. Mary's Basilica in downtown Phoenix

Posted at 5:40 PM, Dec 03, 2018
and last updated 2018-12-04 00:03:19-05

Volunteers and parishioners at Saint Mary's Basilica in downtown Phoenix were forced to hold a man down until police arrived after he walked into the church and started busting statues. 

A parishioner snapped a photo of Phoenix police taking 35-year old Devon Thomas into custody Saturday afternoon.

The church says he walked in while volunteers were getting ready for an afternoon mass. He climbed up on an altar in front of the church and started ripping down three statues. Some of the pieces have been in the church for more than 100 years.

It's possible one of the statues is damaged beyond repair.

The church believes Thomas was on drugs when he came into the church. Thomas is now facing several charges for the incident.