County Faces Courtroom Woes Over 'SWAT-Like' Raid on Detective's Ex-Girlfriend

Forget a restraining order; get a tank

San Diego County and a sheriff's detective might be liable for using excessive force and conspiring against a deputy's ex-girlfriend with a "SWAT-like" raid of her home, the 9th Circuit ruled Tuesday.

The federal appeals panel in Pasadena, Calif., revived Michelle Cameron's excessive force and conspiracy claims against San Diego County and Sheriff's Detective Michelle Craig. …

"At 7:00 a.m. On December 18, 2008—at a time Craig knew Cameron would have custody of her two young children—Craig and six to ten other San Diego County Sheriff's Deputies executed the search warrant at Cameron's residence," the ruling states.

"The deputies were armed and had their weapons drawn. They were dressed entirely in black, with bulletproof vests and helmets."

Cameron said the deputies pointed their guns at her, grabbed her arms and shoulders, and pushed her down the hall into the living room, where they handcuffed her too tightly.