A quiet Fort Lauderdale neighborhood was the unlikely scene of a pre-dawn raid at the home of President Donald Trump confidant Roger Stone, who was arrested Friday on charges of witness tampering, obstruction and lying to Congress.
CNN aired video of the raid at Stone's home, showing FBI agents in body armor using large weapons and night-vision equipment, running up to the home and banging repeatedly on the door in the Las Olas Isles neighborhood.
"FBI open the door!" one shouts. "FBI, warrant!" Stone could then be seen in the doorway in his sleepwear before he was led away.
Stone spoke to reporters after he appeared in court and was released on $250,000 bond, saying he would have voluntarily surrendered to federal officials.
"Twenty-nine FBI agents arrived at my home with 17 vehicles," Stone said. "They terrorized my wife, my dogs."
Hours after his arrest, aerial footage showed Stone's home blocked by yellow crime scene tape, with police vehicles and tents outside. By Friday afternoon, police officers still had the entrance to Stone's street blocked, as passersby stopped to take a look at the scene and take photos.
Residents of the neighborhood said they were shocked to learn of the raid and arrest.
"It’s such a tumultuous time," neighbor Peggy McCormick said. "It’s interesting and sad at the same time."
One Stone neighbor, former NFL star Chad "OchoCinco" Johnson, also tweeted about the raid.
"FBI arrested my neighbor Roger before my morning jog, I’ve only seen sh[--] like that in movies, crazy to start to my Friday," he wrote.
Stone said he'll plead not guilty, and called the criminal charges "politically motivated."
