SWAT Raids Bingo Game At Nursing Home Leaving 7 Injured, 1 Dead
Aug 01, 2014
A Special Weapons and Tactics unit raided an illegal bingo game at Pleasant Place Nursing Home in Glendale, AZ yesterday, killing one and injuring seven.
The night’s winner, Cynthia Wellington, was collecting her winnings when a dozen SWAT members, armed with assault rifles, rushed the room and demanded to see everyone’s identification.
Seniors who could not produce an identification card were ordered to the floor and zip tied. “A man in his 90s with a wheelchair is not going to have his drivers license on him,” said a nurse on the scene.
Any for-profit games are considered gambling in the state of Arizona and must be registered to the state. However, Nurse Jackie Thompson told reporters the top prize was five dollars and the seniors are “always more interested in the carrot cake that is served.”
“I never imagined I’d ever see dozens of elderly hogtied on the ground,” Thompson said. “Many didn’t even know where they were. I couldn’t stop crying, I just wanted to see what happened to Vinny.”
Vincent Cullen, who served in the Navy for 44 years, had a heart attack during the military-style operation when eight armored Suburbans, two M4A4 tanks, and a Blackhawk helicopter blocked the driveway entrance, not allowing emergency medical technicians access to the 86-year-old grandfather.
Cullen’s son, Jacob, was en route to take his father out to Applebee's, which they did every week after bingo night.
“He loved bingo and he loved Applebee's,” Cullen said. “Now he’s with the Lord, eating those baby-back ribs in heaven.”
A black and white case
Two out of three deaths in the Pleasant View assault were African-American residents. Human rights groups are demanding an explanation as to why the only two minority residents in the Phoenix nursing home suffered the worst outcome.
Police Chief Joe Arpaio told reporters, “We figured the black people were the ring leaders of the illegal bingo operation. In my experience, that tends to be the case.
“We don’t care if it was a five dollar game or a fifty dollar game. It’s illegal and it’s my job to stop them as quickly as possible without getting any of our officers hurt. Luckily, we were successful. Any civilian casualties is part of the game.”
Arpaio defended the use of excessive force when speaking to the survivors. “If the taxpayers are paying for our military equipment, then we will use these awesome toys. A police state makes you and your family safer.
“So, let this be a warning to nursing homes across the country: you bet on bingo, you’re betting with your life.”