Well, this seems entirely unnecessary: Action star Steven Seagal and controversial sherriff Joe Arpaio recently raided the property of a suspected cockfighter using a full SWAT team, a bomb-detecting robot, and a bevy of armored vehicles, including one that witnesses referred to as a full-fledged tank.
As it turns out, the suspect was unarmed, though the chickens were presumably dangerous: According to KPHO, 115 birds were euthanized on the spot, and thousands of dollars of damage were done to suspected cockfight organizer Jesus Llovera‘s property, including damage caused by the tank knocking over his walls.
Llovera’s attorney accuses Seagal and company of performing the raid as a publicity stunt for Seagal’s TV series, “Lawman,” and estimates that the heavily armed raid cost taxpayers “tens of thousands of dollars.” The sherriff’s office defends it, though: “‘We’re going to err on the side of caution. We’re going to make sure that we have the appropriate amount of force in case we do run into anything like that,’ said Sgt. Jesse Spurgin.” Sounds legit.
