RICHMOND -- A man walked into a Richmond church Friday night, poured a flammable liquid on a nativity scene and then set it on fire as a practicing choir looked on in horror.

At approximately 7:45 p.m. the man, identified as 40-year-old Robert Mills of San Pablo, walked down the aisle of St. Cornelius Church with a backpack and a gas can and told approximately 15 members of the church choir that he planned to burn the church down, police reported.

After suggesting the choir leave the church, Mills proceeded to pour gasoline over several pews and the altar before setting them on fire, police said. Mills then fled from the church.

According to police, two men that were in the church at the time followed Mills as he fled. The men told police that they had last seen Mills enter Nicholl Park, located at 3230 MacDonald Ave.

Responding officers set up a perimeter in the area of Nicholl Park and began to search for Mills, who was later located hiding under a fence at 3201 Leona St., police reported.

Mills was taken into custody on suspicion of arson, police reported.

Firefighters from the Richmond Fire Department responded to the fire, which reached a full second-alarm at 8:02 p.m., a fire dispatcher reported. The fire was controlled at 8:19 p.m.

The church, located at 205 28th St., sustained moderate smoke and heat damage, the dispatcher said. Several pews and the altar were also destroyed.

According to police, Mills has a prior criminal record and has spent time in and out of jail.