A SWAT Team Blew Up This Innocent Woman’s House and Cost Her Over $50,000. The City Tried To Stop Her From Suing
BY Herschel Smith
3 years, 1 month ago
A SWAT team destroyed an innocent woman’s house after a fugitive barricaded himself inside. Last week a federal court ruled that she can sue the government for damages.
In July 2020, Wesley Little—who Vicki Baker had terminated as her handyman about a year and a half prior—arrived at Baker’s home in McKinney, Texas. Baker’s daughter answered. Recognizing him from news reports that he was wanted for the abduction of a 15-year-old girl, she left the premises and called the police.
SWAT agents soon arrived. They set off explosives to open the garage entryway, detonated tear gas grenades inside the building, ran over Baker’s fence with an armored vehicle, and ripped off her front door, despite being given a garage door opener, a code to the back gate, and a key to the home. The house was unlivable when they were through.
She sued. So the city asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit.
“In its pursuit of the fugitive and pursuant to its police powers, Baker alleges the City caused significant economic damage—over $50,000—to her home. Then, the City refused to compensate her for the damage,” writes Judge Amos L. Mazzant III of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. “Baker has alleged damage to her private property—and the City’s refusal to compensate for such damage—that plausibly amounts to a Fifth Amendment violation.”
The fact that this needed to be spelled out is a commentary on how difficult it has become to get meaningful accountability from the government.
The ability to do this sort of thing without accountability turns cops into nothing more than home invaders, hoodlums, gangsters and vandals. Those who do this are deserving of no respect at all. I would have been just fine if the cops perpetrating this had been shot.
They had no right to do this to anyone’s home.
On December 1, 2021 at 9:21 am, Randolph Scott said:
And some people/LEO’s wonder why they are called PIGS.
Most of the SWAT teams need to be dismantled. SWAT teams are full of PIGS and other thugs who abuse people, kill our pets and half the time actually shot innocent victims.
On December 1, 2021 at 9:30 am, Don Curton said:
So the cops had tear gas, explosives, armored vehicles, and presumably scary black military assault rifles which are weapons of war !!! that have NO PLACE on our streets, according to the liberals. So just like anybody else, they have their fun little toys and just can’t wait to use them. On whoever. Whenever. Meal Team Six.
I’d be just fine with all cops getting issued one knock-off no-name brand .38 special revolver and a single bullet that they need to keep in their pocket until authorized to load it. No SWAT teams, no special weapons, no explosives.
On December 1, 2021 at 9:50 am, Done. said:
Qualified immunity…………..and they will continue to abuse us because they are more important than we are. Get with the program peon.
On December 1, 2021 at 9:51 am, Fred said:
Just doing their job.
On December 1, 2021 at 9:51 am, Gary said:
As a former cop of 28 years, retired in 2001, I cringe every time I see these types of incidents. When I was a rookie there was never this mantra of ‘get home safe at any cost,’ I actually believed I had a duty to protect those innocents in society to the best of my ability and I ave risked my life more than once because of that belief.
In the type of incident described in the article my partner and I would have gone to the residence and apprehended him, and if we had a problem we would have called for assistance because there was no swat unit then. SWAT is a waste of time and money, every department has a swat team because terrorism!! Such BS, and so many of these swat guys think they are the hammer and every problem is a nail. The thing is if the department has spent time and money on swat they have to justify its existence so they get used for EVERY call that might be dangerous.
There has always been a rift between the public and cops, just the nature of the beast, but now days it has gone beyond us vs. them, it is everyone not a cop is the enemy. Well hell, I’m proud of my time as a cop, but I would not be one today.
On December 1, 2021 at 10:00 am, Okanogan Offgrid said:
Once again, there are no good cops.
In Okanogan County, Washington our deputies are now wearing those new polymer rifle plates that are so thick they make the deputies look like cartoon characters.
A couple of years ago I personally witnessed a SGT with the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Dept threaten to beat up a defenseless 57 year old woman who is not half his size and did absolutely nothing to provoke him. When I tried to get body cam recordings to support a complain I wanted to file, I found out we have a Sheriff who refuses to issue that inexpensive and readily available technology that would prove how his deputies treat people.
On December 1, 2021 at 10:17 am, Chris Mallory said:
It was July in Texas, turn off the power and water and wait him out. But that means having government employees standing around in the heat instead of playing with their tax payer supplied toys.
The original article touches on the arrest of Robert Jonathan Seacat. In that one, the government employees destroyed a house. The owner sued and the 10th Circuit gave us this “wisdom”: “The court sympathized with the Lechs, calling their circumstances “unfair”, but ruling that police cannot be “burdened” with the consideration of collateral property damage when performing their duties”
Of course the 9 robed wizards in DC refused to take the case on appeal.
On December 1, 2021 at 6:52 pm, X said:
Watch:
Cops shoot wheelchair-bound shoplifter in the back nine times
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0eWZkcDKsM
On December 2, 2021 at 2:29 am, Ohio Guy said:
@ X: That was an execution. The perp/victim simply did not respect officer Jekyll’s authority and immediately triggered officer Hyde. It’s only going to get much worse. Be gray, keep insurance and registration up to date, lights and turn signals in good condition, watch your speed and never, ever travel with large amounts of cash. Stay armed and ready to serve it to ’em if need be ’cause they damned sure will serve it to you.
On December 2, 2021 at 1:53 pm, Ned said:
Those assholes in the city council too. They and their property could become targets of retribution. They could have demanded their insurer pay off the victim. Maybe a nice Antifa brick through their windows and torched vehicles from time to time. Seems like next to no one is ever charged with a crime for burning down business owner’s property.