BATON ROUGE - A man arrested Thursday for crashing nearly through an entire church on Scenic Highway reportedly told officers he had been "riding with demons" prior to the crash. 

Tervont Johnson, 26, was arrested Thursday after he crashed his car through Mt. Pilgrim Baptist Church on Scenic Highway. His vehicle also caught on fire immediately after the crash.

Brother Clifford Young, the church secretary, said it was a startling sight.

"[I] just saw all the water coming out of the sprinkler system and a cloud of smoke... and my brother noticed there was a car in the sanctuary," Young said.

Mike Harris, a bystander, was sitting at the stop light on Mills Avenue at Scenic Highway when he witnessed a Tesla speed through the parking lot of the church. 

"The fire department showed up lickedy-split, they put it out, suppressed the fire and put it out," Harris said. 

Harris then saw Johnson exit the vehicle without a scratch.

"It just was crazy, I guess the Lord looks after babies and fools," Harris said. "I asked if he was okay, he was nonverbal, I couldn't see any cuts or blood on anything, but he appeared dazed."

The Baton Rouge Police Department said Johnson appeared to be incoherent at the time of his arrest. He waived his rights to counsel after police read him his Miranda Rights, and reportedly admitted to crashing his car, saying he was "riding with demons."

According to an affidavit, the damage to the church as a result of the fire totaled around $100,000.

Police seized a large amount of marijuana from Johnson's vehicle. 

He was arrested for aggravated criminal damage to property and drug charges related to the marijuana. He was also booked for simple arson as a result of the fire. 

Young said no one was in the part of the building Johnson crashed into and said he was grateful no one was hurt. He is also unsure of when repairs will be finished.

"Nothing is in our hands, we don't control anything," Young said. "We just leave it up to God and count our blessings as everything comes day by day."