Swat team conducts 'laid-back' raid on gambling house

[Qbins Missile Crisis]

PANAMA CITY — It was the most "laid back" raid Panama City Police Lt. Mark Aviles has ever been on.

"I hate to use that word," Aviles said Wednesday. "But it was."

Aviles and two members of the Panama City Police Department's SWAT team assisted the State Attorney's Office in serving a search warrant Tuesday night at a residence on De Gama Avenue that was suspected of being a gambling house.

Aviles said the SWAT team members were there only because of reports the residence's doors were reinforced and might need special tools to open. He said they brought a ram and did find steel reinforced doors, but they were unlocked.

"We knocked, didn't get a reply. We tried the doorknob and it wasn't locked, so we walked in and said, ‘Hey,'" Aviles said.

He said SWAT normally crashes into a house yelling and brandishing guns. In this instance, he said, they walked in, made everyone inside show their hands and sit in a corner while the search was conducted.

Aviles said one man was allowed to make coffee.

"We didn't put handcuffs on anybody and we didn't make any arrests," he said.

Aviles said his department had received information several weeks ago about a possible gambling "situation" at the house. Officers watched the house but found nothing to move their investigation forward, he said.

He said that once inside, officers found the windows were covered with plastic so no light came through and everyone in the house had parked in what once was a paintball field behind the residence. Aviles declined, however, to discuss anything else about the search.

State Attorney's Office spokesman Joe Grammer said he could "neither confirm nor deny" an ongoing investigation.

The homeowner, Pasco Cain, said he was not arrested but did not want to comment further.

"I don't know exactly what's going on yet," he said.

Florida law allows "penny-ante games," such as poker, pinochle, bridge, rummy, canasta, hearts, dominoes or mah-jongg, if they take place in a "dwelling" and the winnings of any player in a single round, hand or game do not exceed $10.

David Angier
Thursday May 22nd, 2008
nwfdailynews.com

[Ruddem]

I had never once before heard of a "laid-back" raid, but that's certainly what it was, I realized after reading. I found the article funny, to say the least.

[Cutler]

I would agree with the term "laid back". I have never really heard of the Swat team coming in and not having to cuff people, let alone allowing them to make coffee and talk it over.

[Ruddem]

I think I actually missed the part about the coffee the first time around. This is definitely the way that I would want my place to be raided. Well, if I had to be raided that is.

[Davey]

The article gave me a good chuckle. I wonder if the SWAT team was taken aback over how simple and easy going the raid was? Must have been a nice change considering how their raids usually go

[dean-colbalt]

I know people that have been busted for petty computer hacking with a better raid story, what a crappy ending, I was hoping for something full with action.

so we walked in and said, ‘Hey,'" Aviles said.

Thats just really funny I must say though, could you imagine being one of the persons inside?

[Cutler]

You would think that there would be some more action invovled. Pretty anti-climatic, but at the same time, a very funny story. I thought it was strange that there was a raid, but no handcuffs had to be used.

[betting-and-winning]

I guess the reason handcuffs weren't used was that the people in the house weren't resisting and just did what they were told. I found the bit about the guy just saying "Hey" pretty funny

[Nickolas]

Anyone hear whether or not the house is still under investigation or did it end with this raid? I don't know whether I would be so civil if the SWAT raided my home. I would be freaked out

[Jack Brown]

Has there been other news about this? Or was this the end of the investigation?

If I was ever involved in a house raid I would be freaked out, not offering coffee. I wonder if the SWAT team left thinking "Well that was easier then I thought it would be"