Posted on 09/23/2011 1:17:57 PM PDT by Michael Barnes
LAS VEGAS -- The U.S. Air Force led a rare raid against a Las Vegas gun shop Friday afternoon. Investigators removed pieces of evidence and took several people into custody.
The initial raid lasted less than an hour.
"These guys were in full get-up, automatic weapons," said Bahama Mamas manager Joe Gold.
Armored SWAT tanks, officers carrying machine guns, K-9s, the FBI, ATF, and the U.S. Air Force made a grand entrance at the business park on Dean Martin Drive near Flamingo Road.
Heavy on action and light on information, investigators remained tight-lipped about the warrants served at the Citadel Gun and Safe store and an unoccupied building behind it.
"I was just trying to get to my car, because I thought it was going to get taken away, because you know it was in the way," Bahama Mamas worker Rai Reed.
"We were just watching what was going on. Nobody has any idea. I know the gun store, but I've never seen anything in there," Gold said.
While Citadel owner John Call and other people were taken into custody at the store, a warrant was also being issued at Call's house in northwest Las Vegas.
Neighbors and businesses speculated at what prompted this unusual raid.
"I don't know. I have no idea," Gold said.
"All we can do is assume. It's a gun shop, and this place over here - it could be drugs. It could be anything," Reed said.
Sources close to the investigation told 8 News NOW that FBI officials and SWAT teams seized guns, body armor and MREs, or ready-to-eat meals during the raid.
Call and the other people arrested in the raid were released on Saturday.
The U.S. Attorney's Office in Nevada is working with the Air Force on this investigation.
The Air Force?
Now that’s cute.
Was Bruce Willis there?
Wouldn't using the Air Force to perform civilian law enforcement duties violate the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878?
Let me guess, this is one of those shops that actually called the BATFE when they had a suspicious sale going through only to be told by that agency to let it go through?
Operation Fast and Furious.
Maybe the shop was selling stolen military MREs and other stolen "stuff"
Government owned firearms might be the object of the search.
This is what happens when a zoomie loses a weapon.
That got my attention also. The only thing I can figure is that guns may have been stolen from Nellis.
Still, the local police should have handled the raid.
Odd that the local police have to come to the rescue of the Fort Hood victims, but the Air Force aids in a police raid?
Perhaps someone was stealing from an Air Force base and fencing items at the store?
Cops were probably looking for illegal donuts.
http://www.ktnv.com/news/local/128140053.html
Month old story. Let's read the news before we react.
We can argue about the paramilitary tactics or USAF involvement off-base, but if military personnel or equipment are involved, then it is within their jurisdiction.
Try This
Sorry.
Under the "NCIS" rule, right? ;-)
Love the part of the article where it reads they were "carrying...K-9s..." --- the dog has 4 legs and has to be carried???
This link doesn’t exist.
You think the dog is heavy, try carrying the FBI, the ATF and the whole damn Air Force!
Metro lent a hand, as well as the FBI, ATF, and ICE. The recovered material would not have posed a danger to citizens, a spokesperson from the Air Force said.
Was it a government owned chair or furniture? Some Air Force logo?
If this was nothing that would pose a danger to anyone, why such a massive, dangerous armed raid?
If this was nothing that would pose a danger to anyone, why do they not state what this alleged item is?
Like I said, we can debate the paramilitary tactics.
Plus, the proper way to work it is for the UASF investigators to provide the information to the civilian law enforcement, who would swear out the search warrant(s) and conduct the raid.
I have worked similar cases. That’s how it can and should be done. The USAF can come along to ID the items we find in the execution of the warrant, but they have no arrest powers unless the person(s) being arrested are subject to UCMJ jursidiction. However, once I (civilian police) have them, the military personnel suspects do get turned over to the military jurisdiction.
This is such a poor news reporting job, we can’t know from what is presented here if the USAF did in fact follow this procedure, or if they maybe violated posse commitatus.
We can’t tell and shouldn’t make assumptions is all I am suggesting.
I'm betting it was the MREs. Easy to steal, easy to sell.
I think if Air Force personel are somehow involved in what was going on, they are part of the investigation and probably the legal enforcement team....
Probably had “rosewood” rifle stocks and pistol grips in their inventory.
What non dangerous item are you referring to?
This seems to be a secret.
Just speculating, but if multiple, heavily armed agencies of the government showed up in such a massive, dangerous raid, then it's revealed the alleged stolen item were nothing which would pose a danger to anyone, I would imagine they're concealing what the item was to avoid embarrassment or questions regarding such a massive response.
Did ya ever notice when people who've enter this country illegally and are found wandering around our military bases during war time yet, it barely makes the news, and no one is ever held responsible...Never a word is heard again...
I didn’t make any reference to non-dangerous items. That is how the news article described them.
Again, I can’t speculate on the tactics involved. The may be excessive, just like a lot of law enforement that gets done these days is. Then again, maybe bad actors were involved. We don’t know.
As for the illegals, well, yeah. But it seems neither party is ready to acknowledge that maybe having illegal labor in the country period, let alone on military posts, is a bad idea. Not sure what this has to do with the story at hand though - the news article reference to ICE is kind of cryptic.
Your guess is as good as mine.
>> “Sources close to the investigation told 8 News NOW that FBI officials and SWAT teams seized guns, body armor and MREs, or ready-to-eat meals during the raid.” <<
Then from SargeK’s linked article:
>> “”It did not include weapons, guns, explosives of any kind, bombs, nothing like that. It was basic stolen military property,” Card said.”<<
So I assume that the warrant specified the guns that were seized. You know, according to that pesky old Fourth Amendment thingie: “but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”
I sure hope the shop owner has his lawyer get a copy of the warrant and the seized inventory and steps on whichever AF or police officers d!cks who violated his civil rights under color of law.
The only way to make them accountable is to hold them accountable and file the lawsuits against not only the agency, but personally and severally against the officers violating the laws. Either do the job right or get your ass AND assets tied up in court. A good cop wouldn’t have any heartburn about that.
You are close. These raids are to show the public that ATF is on the job,
It’s a cover up for Fast and Furious, they are looking to slow down the bad press by generating raids on gun dealers, all of a sudden.
It’s all part of the cover-up.
Yes. And besides you and me nobody gives a chit. Sad but true.
Laws, Acts or the Constitution don't get in the way when 0bama or his thugs want to do something.
Obama probably thinks Posse Comitatus is an Italian wine.
They probably weren’t walking guns fast enough for the ATF.
A way to get around/get rid of Posse Comitatus was written before Obama was sworn into office.
http://www.theamericanconservative.com/article/2007/apr/23/00026/
“It only took a few paragraphs in a $500 billion, 591-page bill to raze one of the most important limits on federal power. Congress passed the Insurrection Act in 1807 to severely restrict the president’s ability to deploy the military within the United States. The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 tightened these restrictions, imposing a two-year prison sentence on anyone who used the military within the U.S. without the express permission of Congress. But there is a loophole: Posse Comitatus is waived if the president invokes the Insurrection Act.
Section 1076 of the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007 changed the name of the key provision in the statute book from “Insurrection Act” to “Enforcement of the Laws to Restore Public Order Act.” The Insurrection Act of 1807 stated that the president could deploy troops within the United States only “to suppress, in a State, any insurrection, domestic violence, unlawful combination, or conspiracy.” The new law expands the list to include “natural disaster, epidemic, or other serious public health emergency, terrorist attack or incident, or other condition”—and such “condition” is not defined or limited. “
What’s one more broken rule to the government?
Or a STD...
Well, those MRE's ARE lethal weapons, so...
No, can't be the MRE's, the article said there was no danger to the public. ;-)
If someone steals stealth tech or other exotic engine tech, I can see why the over-reaction using overwhelming force.
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