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LAS VEGAS -- Tensions have subsided and the crowds of armed militia around rancher Cliven Bundy have largely dispersed, but the situation is far from resolved.
Federal officials are exploring their legal options, and Metro Police confirm that an investigation is ongoing. What has not been made public is just how close things came to an all-out gun battle. Some of those who were on the front lines spoke exclusively to the I-Team's George Knapp.
When the Bureau of Land Management mobilized to go after Bundy's cattle two years ago, they did so under an administrative order. This time, it was considered a criminal matter, and the I-Team has learned that order went all the way to the White House for approval.
When it became apparent that things were not going well in Bunkerville and hundreds of armed Bundy supporters were on the scene, Metro found itself right in the middle, a very dangerous place to be.
"We didn't show any fear that day, but I can tell you, we all thought in the back of our minds, we all thought it was going to be our last day on earth, if it went bad," said Sgt. Tom Jenkins of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
He is more familiar with the craziness of the Las Vegas Strip, which is where he and his squad usually work to keep the peace. But when things began to turn ugly in Bunkerville earlier this month, two squads of patrol officers, along with a SWAT unit, were dispatched to the scene.
"We were told, we're going to go down there and we're going to get between the BLM and the protesters. We were going, okay, we've been there before, but as we were driving up, it was like a movie set. It didn't look real; people in the back of pickup trucks with rifles and shotguns," Jenkins said. "It was hard to grasp that at the beginning."
Federal officials are exploring their legal options, and Metro Police confirm that an investigation is ongoing. What has not been made public is just how close things came to an all-out gun battle. Some of those who were on the front lines spoke exclusively to the I-Team's George Knapp.
When the Bureau of Land Management mobilized to go after Bundy's cattle two years ago, they did so under an administrative order. This time, it was considered a criminal matter, and the I-Team has learned that order went all the way to the White House for approval.
When it became apparent that things were not going well in Bunkerville and hundreds of armed Bundy supporters were on the scene, Metro found itself right in the middle, a very dangerous place to be.
"We didn't show any fear that day, but I can tell you, we all thought in the back of our minds, we all thought it was going to be our last day on earth, if it went bad," said Sgt. Tom Jenkins of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
He is more familiar with the craziness of the Las Vegas Strip, which is where he and his squad usually work to keep the peace. But when things began to turn ugly in Bunkerville earlier this month, two squads of patrol officers, along with a SWAT unit, were dispatched to the scene.
"We were told, we're going to go down there and we're going to get between the BLM and the protesters. We were going, okay, we've been there before, but as we were driving up, it was like a movie set. It didn't look real; people in the back of pickup trucks with rifles and shotguns," Jenkins said. "It was hard to grasp that at the beginning."
(snip)
One person in the crowd even asked Jenkins if he was ready to die.
"I don't know his name. He was wearing a Pittsburgh Steelers jersey. I'll never forget that," he said.
"I don't know his name. He was wearing a Pittsburgh Steelers jersey. I'll never forget that," he said.
(snip)
"The bottom line is, bloodshed over cattle, unacceptable. Nobody wanted to go in that direction," Lombardo said.
But the police were to learn, some in the crowd did want to go in that direction. Even Lombardo was on the receiving end.
But the police were to learn, some in the crowd did want to go in that direction. Even Lombardo was on the receiving end.
(snip)
One Bundy supporter summed it up, "Had to happen sometime, might as well happen now, right?"
I highly recommend going to that article and watching the news story. News 8 did an incredible job covering this.
Edit: If you're a fan of the TV show COPS you'll remember Officer Jenkins taking down a drunk racist many years ago on the show.
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