“The worst thing I’ve ever been through, by far”

Following a report by a pizza delivery person that persons who looked underage were drinking beer at a party there, Montgomery County police raided the home of Damascus family George and Cathy Magas. According to the family, police not only dragged and handcuffed the elder Magas but tased both father and son. Police disputed their account but the family, which has a video taken that evening, won in court:

Circuit Court Judge Steven Salant sided entirely with the Magas family. In a 23-page ruling, he called the police’s version of what happened “doubtful,” that the family had “an expectation of privacy,” called the raid an “unlawful invasion,” and that evidence was unlawfully obtained.

After the judge dropped criminal charges against the couple and their son Eric, WTTG/Channel 5 interviewed the Magases. I can’t embed it, but you can watch the clip here and it is highly recommended. More coverage in the Sentinel of the raid itself and the county police’s underage drinking task force, and in the Post.