Actor Steven Seagal Sued for Death of Puppy in Filming
Steven Seagal is being threatened with legal action over the death of an Arizona resident’s dog, killed during a raid being filmed for the actor’s new reality show.
The veteran actor of action films in the 1980s and 1990s has been accused of killing the 11-month-old dog belonging to Jesus Sanchez Llovera while conducting the raid on the Arizona resident’s home.
“Steven Seagal: Lawman,” Seagal’s new reality show, follows the actor as he carries out a reserve deputy sheriff’s duties with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Department (MCSD).
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Seagal, along with MCSD’s Sheriff Joe Arpaio, raided Llovera’s home on March 9 under the suspicion that the Arizona resident was conducting an illegal cockfighting operation, the Herald Sun reported.
During the taped raid, Llovera’s house was stormed by dozens of police officers in full riot gear, armored cars, as well as a tank, which broke into a gate on the property.
Llovera’s dog was shot and killed during the incident, and Llovera contends that Seagal and the MCSD performed an “unfounded” raid on his home. In addition, Llovera claims that over 100 roosters belonging to him were also shot and killed.
Llovera denies that he was conducting a cockfighting operation, and that the roosters were just “for show.”
Llovera’s claim is the first step of a lawsuit, and states that his home underwent “substantial damage.” His claim demands $100,000 as well as a “formal written apology” for his children from Seagal, “for the death of their 11-month-old puppy, a beloved family pet,” TMZ reported.
Featured on “Lawman,” Seagal has often accompanied Sheriff Arpaio, who is also named in the claim by Llovera, in cracking down on illegal immigrants.
The Associated Press reported that Seagal has been investigated by the Justice Department for numerous reasons, including “alleged discrimination, unconstitutional searches and seizures, and for having an English-only policy in his jails that discriminates against people with limited English skills.”
In the past, Seagal told an Arizona radio station that animal cruelty was one of his pet peeves, according to Forbes magazine. The use of several armored cars, a tank, along with a Tactical Operations Unit in the raid on Llovera’s home could represent the actor’s intense disdain for animal cruelty.
TMZ reported that both Seagal and the Maricopa Sheriff’s Department have declined commenting on the incident.
