Man behind Rochester Hills mosque disturbance sent to mental hospital

Rochester Hills — A 30-year-old Rochester Hills man has been ordered by a court to undergo mental health treatment after disturbing people at a mosque Tuesday, the Oakland County Sheriff's Office said.

Officials with the Islamic Association of Greater Detroit on Auburn Road near Livernois in Rochester Hills called sheriff's deputies to report a suspicious man who came into the mosque, took off his shoes, sat down and then stood up and shouted "You guys will go to hell, Jesus is God!"

The man was asked to leave and he got on a bicycle and headed west on Auburn Road toward Livernois while he continued to repeat "You guys will go to hell; Jesus is God!"

The mosque had provided deputies with video of the incident. It also gave them video of a Sunday incident at another mosque, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Center in Rochester Hills, involving someone believed to be the same man. 

In Sunday's incident, the man was given entry into the mosque after telling officials he was interested in becoming a member. However, he approached children at the mosque and told them they were practicing a fake religion. He then left the area in a maroon Mercury Sable. Someone at the mosque was able to take a picture of the car's license plate, police said.

Investigators with the sheriff's office used the video and license plate information to track down the man. They spoke with the man's father, who told deputies the man suffers from a mental disorder and he lives with him and his mother. He also said his son had stopped taking his medication, which had been causing his erratic behavior, according to police.

cramirez@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @CharlesERamirez