The SWAT team was dispatched to a bar in Odessa, Texas after the owner decided to re-open for business.
The SWAT team, ladies and gentlemen.
Ector County Sheriff Mike Griffis said during a news conference that the owner of Big Daddy Zane’s opened her business even though Gov. Greg Abbott explicitly mandated that bars remain closed.
When officers arrived they found six men in body armor and armed with rifles standing outside the establishment.
“This was not a protest of their second amendment rights. It was a show of force to ensure this lady could violate the governor’s order,” Griffis told reporters.
The owner along with the seven armed men were arrested.
The bar posted a Facebook event scheduled for May 4 called “Bars and bartenders standing united,” which had a photo of armed men in body armor posing in an undisclosed location.
“They will be here to help protect our rights as a small business owner to open and be able to feed our families,” according to the post.
Ector County Sheriff’s SWAT team raiding a peaceful protest at Big Daddy Zane’s in West Odessa. The bar opened this afternoon despite Abbott’s latest orders, saying “all businesses are essential.”
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— JuYeon Kim (@JuYeonKimTV) May 5, 2020