A woman in Leon Valley, Texas is suing police after they mistakenly raided her house with her 5-year-old son inside, while also pointing a gun at her head. The event left the woman traumatized as police raided the home in search for drugs.
The federal civil rights lawsuit was filed on December 24, 2018 against the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO), Texas Department of Public Safety (TDPS), and DEA. The lawsuit claims the family was targeted based on false and unrealistic information provided by an informant.
On Nov. 14, 2018 Lucil Basco was on her way to pick up her autistic son from Empower Behavioral Health, which offers clinic-based applied behavior analysis services to learners across the state of Texas. Basco is a registered nurse.
News 4 San Antonio reports Basco was pulled over by TDPS officers for not using her blinker and having an obstructed license plate. Officers searched Basco’s vehicle and wrote her a warning ticket and allowed her to drive away.
Basco arrived home with her son an hour later. Soon after cops used a battering ram to knock down her front door on a narcotics search warrant. Several officers wearing masks with lights on their heads ran into the home yelling with guns drawn, according to the lawsuit.
Authorities placed Basco in handcuffs in front of her son while they searched for drugs in her home, breaking down two additional doors inside it. The raid was based on “information from a DEA confidential informant,” the suit said.
Civil Rights Attorney Solomon Radner says:
“When police make a mistake they never ever own up to it and it’s got to stop. What happened to this family is an absolute travesty. It never should have happened, it never should happen again. The police have proven time and time again that they are absolutely 100 percent incapable of policing themselves.”
According to a police report, the informant pointed out Basco’s house as a “stash house” to BCSO deputies and agents with the DEA. The report said an entry team knocked and announced their arrival “several times” before forcing their way in to Basco’s home.
A BCSO deputy was later told it was not the right house and no drugs were found inside the home.
The next day a BCSO sergeant told Basco’s husband that the raid was a mistake and that they were going to receive money for the damage. The Basco family hasn’t received any funds yet.
The Basco family had just moved into their new home when the raid happened. The lawsuit claims they were embarrassed and humiliated in front of their neighbors.
In a press conference Basco said:
“I have nightmares ever since the police broke down my door with their guns pointed at my head, pointed it at me. It traumatized my son and myself. This is unfair to my son and this is unfair also to me. I was shocked, how could this happen to my family?”
The Basco family is suing for various big dollar damages. A jury is being sought.
