Family suing Fresno County Sheriff's Office and Clovis PD over SWAT standoff

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A Fresno County family is suing the Sheriff's Office and Clovis Police Department over a SWAT standoff that destroyed their home.

Deputies arrested a burglar in the home on Rolinda last June, but they knocked down walls and doors, broke windows, and tossed tear gas throughout the house.

In a new lawsuit, the homeowners claim sheriff's officials and Clovis police used this as a "military-like training exercise."

They accused the SWAT team of using more force and doing more damage than necessary to catch an unarmed, homeless person. They say he left a neighbor's home earlier the same day as soon as someone asked him to leave.

We reached out to both agencies about the lawsuit-- both declined to comment.