Lincoln Police have shed some light on a search warrant served by federal agents at a home near 32nd and Orchard late Tuesday afternoon. Assistant Chief Jason Stille says the situation began with a crash around 1:00 p.m. that involved a federal agent’s vehicle.
Stille says he was then notified around 4:30 that protestors were gathering outside the house as Homeland Security and other federal agents were serving the warrant. He then authorized several officers to respond and keep the peace.
Stille said what transpired with the protestors was appalling. “There was a lot of yelling and screaming, there were some items thrown, a lot of threats toward the lives of federal agents, threats to fight them. It was embarrassing quite frankly.”
He says their actions put a lot of people in harms way. “The right time to do it is not 40 feet from federal agents with guns drawn surrounding a house,” Stille says. It puts their lives in danger, It puts the person inside life in danger and it certainly puts the people that are 40 feet away from armed federal agents in danger.”
He says there was about 40-50 people outside the house, but doesn’t believe all of them were protestors. Details of the arrest have not been released. In addition to Homeland Security, agents from the FBI and U.S. Marshals also assisted in getting the barricaded person out of the home.