US police respond to funeral, church service - and vigilantes

Florida pastor Rodney Howard-Browne said his church provided an essential service and had taken precautions

Police in the US have had to deal with some unusual cases as a result of social-distancing guidelines.

On Sunday, Chicago police broke up a funeral with between 40 and 60 attendees for breaching the state's stay-at-home order. Police said they witnessed several people drinking from the same cup. Officers said they dispersed the attendees, but did not arrest anyone.

Meanwhile, in Florida, police arrested a pastor for unlawful assembly - after he allegedly held two large services, and laid on buses to help attendees get to the church. Police said Rodney Howard-Browne's "reckless disregard for human life" put hundreds at risk.

And in Maine, police were called to investigate a particularly extreme case - after local vigilantes allegedly chopped down a tree and used it to block a local resident's road - to stop them from leaving their home.

They apparently targeted the person because their licence plates indicated they were from another state. A local politician criticised the actions as "a tremendous waste of resources", adding "now is not the time to develop an 'us vs. them' mentality".

Florida pastor Rodney Howard-Browne said his church provided an essential service and had taken precautions

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