Phoenix police not saying if raid of chief’s home was a hoax

In fact, they were banging on the home of Phoenix Police Chief Joseph Yahner, which led to the arrest of one of the bounty hunters.

Almost a dozen bondsmen looking for a fugitive in Phoenix ended up at the home of the city’s top cop, police said Wednesday. The spokesman added that if the employees at the two companies did a title search on the home, then they would have realized who lived there.

The FBI says the two men it suspects masqueraded as police officers to rob a Boston art museum of $500 million worth of masterpieces in 1990 are dead. A “heated confrontation” ensued, soon followed by Farley’s arrest for criminal trespassing and disorderly conduct.

Several men banged on the door and shined flashlights into windows, demanding that Yahner exit the home.

Brent Farley, 43, the owner of NorthStar Recovery, was charged with criminal trespass and disorderly conduct.

A squad of 11 bounty hunters looking for a fugitive descended on a home with their guns drawn – only to discover they had mistakenly swarmed a police chief’s home.

That somebody was Roderick Battle – wanted in Oklahoma on drug charges.

A one-minute video of the incident was captured on cell phone video, but cuts off right after Chief Yahner comes to the door. The man is also yelling orders for someone to open the door.

“Part of the process is knocking on doors”, Farley said.

Farley would not leave the property and continued to give orders to Yahner, Crump said.

“Basically, it’s the Wild West”, Burns said.

“We don’t know if the chief was the target specifically or if the bond companies were a target and sent there by someone”, Crump said.

“This particular instance was them failing to confirm or vet the information that could have been found by googling the address”, Crump said.

Police previously said the tip came through social media and that investigators planned to serve subpoenas as part of an investigation that could take weeks. “They hit the wrong house and the wrong person”.