Minister And Wife Arrested For Aggravated Assault Of Several Lilburn Police Officers Over Pregnant Run Away Girl

Minister and wife were denied bail after assaulting a police officers.

By H. Nelson Goodson

Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

March 30, 2018

Lilburn, Georgia – Lilburn Police Department (LPD) released a press release including a police body camera video showing a minister and his wife from the Iglesia Cristiana Evangelista obstructing a police investigation into a missing 16-year-old girl who is pregnant from Wilmer Cruz, 17, one of the sons of the couple arrested in the incident. According to the police video footage, the mother of the missing girl called police after spotting her daughter in company of a woman who had a restraining order not to have contact with the girl. A police sergeant went to speak with a teen near a vehicle, which turned out to be Wilmer and he refuse to cooperate and the sergeant requested for the girl to exit the vehicle, that's when the rest of the family members came out of the church and obstructed the sergeant from investigating to determine what was going on.

Wilmer challenged the sergeant and he was instructed to move back and refused. So, the sergeant felt threaten and he pushed Wilmer back and then Wilmer and his father assaulted the sergeant and when he tried to use a taser, Wilmer's mother took the taser away from the sergeant and the sergeant almost shot her. Wilmer's father had also attempted to choke the sergeant with the help of a younger son before the sergeant pulled out the taser. The younger son managed to take another officer's radio.

All four members of the family were arrested for obstruction of an officer, assulting an officer, interference with the custody of a minor, the woman was also charged with taking an officer's taser, her younger son was charged charged with taking a police radio. Both parents are facing felony charges for assaulting an officer. 

If convicted, the minister and his wife could be deported to El Salvador after serving their sentences, because they are not U.S. Citizens. During a court hearing in the case, bail was denied for the minister and his wife.

The LPD reported that officers arrested Wilmer R. Cruz Sr., 38, and Cristina Cruz, 37, for numerous charges stemming from an altercation with police officers. A 16 and 17 year old were also arrested at the scene.
On March 25, 2018, Lilburn Police responded to a call of a located runaway near 4830 Lawrenceville Highway. Upon arriving, a Lilburn police officer spoke with the complainant and then approached a tan Cadillac Escalade where missing 16-year-old female was located. As the officers walked toward the vehicle, several people approached the officers.
Officers repeatedly instructed people to stand back and continued to attempt to speak to the missing female juvenile in the parked car. Several people did not comply and in turn challenged and assaulted the officers. During the altercation, officers were kicked, choked, and took officer's equipment during the confrontation. Eventually officers were able to contain the situation using crowd control training tactics and kept the situation from escalating further. The missing juvenile was reunited with their family.