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).
A California pastor “violently pushed” a church elder down a flight of cement steps and out a metal gate, leading to his arrest, according to prosecutors and local activists. The woman suffered multiple broken bones, and now she and other worshipers are calling for the pastor to be plucked from the pulpit and dismissed by church officials.
“You could have killed her,” said Najee Ali, a community activist with Project Islamic Hope, in a Facebook post on Monday.
Ali says he has been asked to advocate for the alleged victim, Elise McTaw, by her family. He held a press conference Monday to call for Roseman”s dismissal.
“You pushed an elderly woman down the stairs, severely injuring her along with being arrested … and currently facing criminal charges,” Ali wrote on Facebook. “We’re not going to sweep this under the rug.”
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office tells Law&Crime that Pastor Lorenz Roseman, of Beulah Land Missionary Baptist Church, was arrested in October 2025 for allegedly shoving McTaw down a flight of cement steps outside the house of worship located in the city of Gardena in Los Angeles County’s South Bay area.
Roseman was charged with assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury — a felony — and released on his own recognizance, according to the DA’s office and a criminal complaint obtained by 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.
