Detroit pastor and gospel singer Marvin Winans was robbed, assaulted and carjacked at a gas station in the Motor City Wednesday afternoon.
The pastor of 4,500-member Perfecting Church—who also delivered the eulogy at Whitney Houston’s funeral earlier this year—was pumping gas into his SUV when four men attacked him, he told WXYZ-TV. Winans said he noticed a group of young men and watched them warily as he pumped gas. He did not believe they recognized him.
The carjackers reportedly took Winans’ purple Infiniti QX56 SUV, a couple hundred dollars in cash and his watch. The vehicle remains missing as of Thursday morning, as do the attackers. Detroit police are investigating.
WDIC reported that Winans suffered cuts and bruises to his face hands and arms, and his pants were torn. He said he is all right, but is saddened by the situation.
“This kind of nonsense just has to stop,” he told WXYZ. “It’s just the savageness of what’s happening in the streets. We just have to take a look at ourselves and say this has to stop.”
Winans sought medical attention to have his hand examined after the incident. His left hand was bandaged and he said his finger would remain in bandages for about eight weeks.
“Given the gravity of the situation, it was minor,” he told WXYZ. But he was disturbed that the incident happened “in the middle of the afternoon” and nobody assisted him at first.
“Your life has to be bigger than sitting in a gas station and robbing innocent people,” he said in a message to his carjackers during the interview Wednesday night.
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