Meanwhile, family members driving to the funeral had been notified of the theft and saw a hearse passing them near 52nd and Main streets, about four blocks from the Baptist church. They made the driver pull over and began angrily arguing with him, Little said. ||||| Please enable Javascript to watch this video 
 
 A man who was suspected of being mentally ill allegedly stole a hearse that contained a casket during a funeral in South Park Saturday morning, according to Los Angeles Police Department officials. 
 
 Police responded to reports of a hearse being stolen from the Ebenezer Baptist Church, located at 4901 Avalon Blvd. (map), around 11 a.m., according to LAPD Sgt. Fillippo. 
 
 Witnesses said an older man climbed into the unoccupied hearse and drove off. The vehicle's motor was running before he entered it. 
 
 Multiple funeral attendees then followed the hearse, managed to get the man to pull over, and a verbal and physical confrontation ensued. 
 
 No one was believed to be injured during the incident, Fillippo said. 
 
 The man was taken into custody and expected to be charged with auto theft. His mental condition was also being evaluated. 
 
 The hearse and coffin were returned to the church and funeral services resumed. 
 
 Shirley Little, the wife of the church's pastor, told the L.A. Times she could not recall a similar incident in Ebenezer Baptist's 75-year history. "This is truly one for the books," she said. 
 
 KTLA's Steve Bien contributed to this report.
– A pastor's wife says a hearse was stolen from outside a Southern California church ahead of funeral services with a casket inside. The Los Angeles Times reports that the hearse was idling outside Ebenezer Baptist Church in South Los Angeles while the funeral director arranged flowers for Saturday morning services yesterday for 19-year-old Jonté Lee Reed. Shirley Little, the pastor's wife, says the director called ministry friends for help when he saw the hearse was missing. Little says family members driving to the funeral had been notified and stopped the hearse four blocks from the church. KTLA reports that police detained the man, whose mental condition will be evaluated. Little says the hearse was returned and the funeral was only delayed by 30 minutes.