SAN JOAQUIN, Calif. — The San Joaquin Sheriff's Office said on Friday that videos of a Ripon family alleging excessive police force leave out details about the fireworks bust in question.
On Wednesday, sheriff's deputies said they acted on a search warrant when they came to the 1500 block of Atlantic Avenue in Ripon to investigate alleged illegal fireworks.
Security video released by the homeowners shows members of the family told by law enforcement officers through the intercom to exit the house with their hands up.
Multiple officers in tactical gear and shields are then seen on the security video entering the house.
The homeowners took to local media to say deputies used unnecessary force and had excessive firepower. But San Joaquin County Sheriff's officials say knowledge of criminal history and firearms in the home prompted their use of force.
"What the media and family aren't sharing is that the search warrant stemmed from an ongoing investigation of an illegal fireworks operation that was connected to the home," a county sheriff's spokesperson said Friday.
County sheriff's officials did not say if illegal fireworks were discovered during their search of the house on Wednesday.
