FBI agents swarmed a quiet, upscale Plano neighborhood early Monday morning leading to tense moments for startled residents.
Agents executed the raid at around 4 a.m., according to residents.
“Woke me up, I jump off the bed, I said, 'What the heck is going on?'” said neighbor Dick Cai.
Cai shared cell phone video with NBC 5 showing some of the activity in the dead of night.
Get DFW local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC DFW newsletters.
Residents reported hearing three loud bangs, presumably flash bangs, coupled with repeated commands to come out.
Agents from the FBI and ATF, with the support of Plano police, carried out the mission at a house along Sowerby Drive.
Law enforcement is heard in the video instructing the people inside to, “Put the dog in the bathroom and come down the stairs slowly with your hands up.”
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
Cai says no one appeared to comply for about 30 minutes.
By the end of the takedown, authorities busted down the front door and rammed through the fence in the back of the house.
Neighbors say one man and several young women were detained.
Authorities spent much of the day walking in and out of the house with potential evidence and seizing several luxury vehicles on the property.
Cai also recalls seeing several motorcycles at the house Sunday evening.
While the bust came as a shock, multiple neighbors tell NBC 5 they were not surprised to see the house being targeted by authorities.
“We want to know what’s going on,” said a female neighbor who asked not the be identified.
One thing residents do know is that the house is a rental.
The homeowners rented the house to an individual about three years ago, they said.
Several neighbors said they immediately called the homeowners alerting them of the police presence Monday morning.
This is apparently not the first time police have descended on the house, several said.
SWAT and other law enforcement agents came to the same house, with the same residents, about two years ago, but authorities did not make entry and left when no one came to the door.
Many people shared the same concerning activity regarding the house, including a lot of activity in the middle of the night, people coming and going, large bags brought in and out of the house and a parade of luxury vehicles.
Federal authorities won’t yet say whether anyone was arrested or what crimes are alleged.
The FBI Dallas Office can only confirm an active criminal investigation.
Neighbors praised law enforcement for the successful raid and for keeping other residents safe.
They are cautiously optimistic Monday morning’s ‘wakeup call’ will be the last of its kind in this peaceful neighborhood.
“It’s time for them to leave,” said the female neighbor.
No injuries have been reported.
More information is expected later this week, according to spokespersons for the FBI and Plano police.
