A Texas father won millions of dollars in a settlement with county officials over his son’s arrest that he claims was staged for a police television show.
The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office agreed Tuesday to pay Gary Watsky $2.5 million for the SWAT raid on his Cedar Park home in May 2019, when deputies detained his son, Asher. according to Variety.
The deal was approved four to one by county officials without public discussion.
Watsky claimed in a lawsuit against the county, former Sheriff Robert Chody, former Lt. Mark Luera and former Commander Steve Deaton, among other deputies, that deputies broke into his front and back doors and deployed a non-lethal flashbang grenade to the county. Live PD program, previously canceled.
He and his attorney argue that the arrest should have occurred earlier in the day, when Asher was in court on separate charges.
Gary Watsky, right, won millions of dollars in a settlement with county officials over the arrest of his son, left, which he claims was staged for a police television show.
The brutal arrest began with Detective Mark Luera jumping into the back of an armored vehicle and deadpanning on camera about how dangerous Asher was.
But nothing the detective told the television show was supported by court documents or publicly available police records. according to the Austin American Statesman.
The first officer to arrive on the scene knocked on the wooden front door and the second lit a smoke bomb on the front steps while five SWAT officers yelled, ‘Arrest warrant! Arrest warrant! Come in!’
Meanwhile, inside the house, the Watskys had just placed an order for Chinese food and Asher was in the bathroom when he heard a noise.
At first, he thought his father had fallen, but Gary remembered that he barely had time to look up when “every room in the house was covered with people in assault gear.”
Within minutes, Asher was thrown against the wall and handcuffed for allegedly hitting his roommate with a shovel.
He said he had no idea he was wanted on separate assault charges until officers burst into the home and dragged him away in handcuffs.
Gary was also held at gunpoint and taken outside, where he claimed to have seen a cameraman and was informed that the process was filmed for Live PD.
Officers broke into its front and back doors and deployed a non-lethal flashbang grenade for the previously canceled Live PD show in May 2019.
The second officer to arrive on the scene lit a smoke bomb on the front steps while five SWAT officers yelled, ‘Arrest warrant! Arrest warrant! Come in!’
But Brad Vison, Watsky’s attorney, said Asher should have been arrested by the chares when he appeared in court later that day.
“We spoke to witnesses who were court staff and they were able to say the order was not in the system,” he said. he told Fox 7.
“It was removed from your view, meaning it was active at some point before and then stopped being active.”
He said he believes Sheriff Chody “orchestrated” the arrest for the show and that someone hid the arrest warrant when Asher was in court, so they could record it later.
The lawsuit claimed that Chody and his assistants “viewed themselves as entertainment actors in this television series.”
“Several deputies basked in the spotlight of accolades that came with fame and status as aspiring celebrities,” the lawsuit alleges, according to Variety, which created motivation to ramp up the show’s drama.
He also claimed that Chody would send out invitations on Twitter to watch the latest episode of Live PD at a local movie theater.
Gary was injured during the arrest and suffered a panic attack while being humiliated in front of his neighbors. according to KXAN.
Her son also continues to suffer from psychological damage and post-traumatic stress disorder, and her home suffered more than $5,000 in damage, according to Vinson.
Watsky’s lawsuit argued that former Sheriff Robert Chody (left) “orchestrated” the arrest for the show and that someone hid the arrest warrant when Asher was in court, so they could record it later. Detective Mark Luera then made claims on television that were not supported by court documents.
But Williamson County District Attorney Shawn Dick said officials claimed Asher was being arrested for a violent felony and was considered a “high-risk suspect” based on an internal sheriff’s department risk assessment matrix. .
They insisted that deploying a SWAT team to arrest him in a quiet neighborhood was not only prudent, but necessary.
However, three former investigators told the Statesman that just six months earlier, sheriff’s department leaders pressured them to draft their arrest warrants for the production of Live PD.
“They would go back there quite often and say they wanted a juicy warrant that would look good on TV,” former Detective Casey Daley told the outlet.
Williamson County officials later attempted to cancel their contract with Live PD months later, following complaints about its effects on law enforcement and amid fears that the program would lead to higher insurance premiums.
They claimed Chody continued to allow filming behind the county’s back, and county officials sued him in 2020 seeking a court declaration that the contract had been cancelled.
“Blinded by the lights of television, Sheriff Chody has lost sight of his primary duties as sheriff of Williamson County,” attorneys argued at the time, according to Variety.
“His job is sheriff, not television producer, reality TV star or showbiz agent.”
Asher Watsky was arrested for assault after allegedly hitting his roommate with a shovel.
The settlement is believed to be the second highest settlement in the history of the county. according to KVUE.
“Any time you see a settlement like this in a case, I think it sends a message that no one is above the law, including the law itself, right?” Vison said.
“It sends the message that we all need to be accountable for our actions and that’s what happened with this agreement.”
“I believe that no amount of money will ever repair the injustice that occurred here,” he added to Fox 7.
“The civil wrong that occurred here at the hands of Robert Chody and his connections with Live PD, but my client is satisfied at this point.”