Actor and “Lawman” Steven Seagal is facing a legal claim after a raid on an Arizona man’s home alongside deputies of Sheriff Joe Arpaio, which allegedly resulted in the accidental death of the man’s puppy.
Jesus Sanchez Llovera is asking $100,000 in damages and a public apology after Seagal and the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Department conducted an “unfounded” raid on his home in March, that involved driving a tank through Llovera’s front gate. The raid was taped for an episode of Seagal’s A&E reality show, Steven Seagal: Lawman, and was conducted as a result of allegations that Llovera was involved in cockfighting.
From the Arizona Republic:
Earlier in the year, Phoenix police investigated Llovera due to what they said was his role in a kidnapping scheme related to a lost $5 million drug shipment, which led officers to break down his door in February. The Phoenix kidnapping investigation lost steam, and detectives turned the animal-cruelty aspects of the case over to sheriff’s deputies, who themselves broke down Llovera’s door a month later. The cockfighting case is pending.
The raid was ostensibly to prevent the alleged animal cruelty — though unfortunately the resultant gunfire killed Llovera’s 11-month year old dog and over 100 of his roosters, the Hollywood Reporter reports.
Seagal had teamed up with infamous Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio last November — along with Lou Ferrigno of “Hulk” fame — to help Arpaio on his crusade against illegal immigration.
Ed note: This piece has been corrected from an earlier version that reported Llovera had sued. He had filed a claim, but not yet sued.
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