Steven Seagal, Joe Arpaio Deputies Sued For Reality Show Tank Raid

Jesus Llovera has filed a civil lawsuit against Seagal and members of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team for a raid they conducted in March, 2011, based on allegations that Llovera was involved in cockfighting. Llovera filed a separate claim against Seagal and Arpaio’s deputies last fall.

Llovera, who previously pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor of being present at a cockfight, was suspected of raising roosters and chickens on his property to fight, a felony, and also a violation of his probation.

The Sheriff’s Office, which used “a tank, a bomb robot and 40 deputies,” according to the Arizona Republic, accidentally killed over 100 of Llovera’s roosters and his 11-month old dog during the course of the raid.

Several cameras were there to film the incident for the A&E program. Afterwards, producers tried to get Llovera to sign a release for the episode. He refused.

Llovera’s suit claims that the raid was conducted for the purposes of the show, and is part of a pattern of Arpaio “arresting and prosecuting individuals without probable cause solely for the selfish and improper purposes of achieving personal and political gain through publicity,” the Republic reports.