SWAT raid in San Mateo???
They've gone and SWAT-ed a poker game in my very own San Mateo County. Radley's article has comments from people who were there. Seems like a pretty extreme use of a SWAT team to me.
The raided home is in the Eichler Highlands, which I know well, I practically grew up there. This was a penny anti poker game if the "in" was under a hundred bucks, as those are million dollar plus homes and everyone up there drives expensive euro cars.
There certainly are real, serious crime problems in San Mateo County, but there are also places like Lucky Chances Casino or Artichoke Joe's Casino that have vested interest killing off the competition. Those casino's spent millions to get licensed, so this is probably just business.
The boss of the department, San Mateo County sheriff Greg Munks, who got caught in a Vegas brothel, certainly doesn't have a moral problem with gambling.
Just like the recent busts of South City brothels, it's a business issue. Your suppose to go to the Hanky Panky or the Club Ante for your prostitution transactions, which are at least taxed some.
Update: Local newspaper article with comments from players.
From the above article, one person was arrested because her daughter was there, but not arrested because her 13 yr. old was in the game!
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Update 2: Weird Beard caught this, as did Snowflake.
3 Incoming!:
Some accounts have made incorrect assumptions about a SWAT team being used, perhaps because of first hand accounts that said things such as "...10+ armed (and heavily protected) officers..." and other decriptors. No SWAT team...just a hell of a lot of personnel from the Sheriff's Dept.
I should add that some had helmets, thick vests, etc. Some were in standard issue patrol gear.
You make a good observation. At what point does a heavily armed and tactically geared up police officer become something else?
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