PLANO, Texas — Only remnants of the madness puts a Plano community at ease. But early Monday morning, it was like something out of a movie.
“We heard a boom!" said Catherine Ann Clayton, a Plano resident. "Then, we heard somebody over the speaker saying, ‘2713, this is the FBI. Come out with your hands up,’”
Residents said their homes shook as they woke up to an FBI raid Monday around 3 a.m. on 2700 block of Sowerby Drive.
“I’m a little shook to be honest,” said Clayton.
“We came out of bed, and it was crazy,” said Sharon Hannes, another Plano resident.
Neighbors said the raid turned into a standoff. Some time after, they saw a man and a few women surrender to authorities.
“One of the persons that live in the house had just came home about 7:30. She was standing around freezing and things like that,” said Clayton. “About 30 minutes after that, she took off walking that way. She took off her shoes and started walking.”
WFAA confirmed that the home was being used as a rental property. The Plano Police Department said they are working with FBI and the US Attorney’s Office and will have additional information later this week.
“There’s SWAT team, ATF, Plano Police. What’s going on? This is crazy,” said Givens, a Plano resident. “I’ve been here over 20 years...It’s the wildest thing that ever happened.”
Residents told WFAA that the home had suspicious behaviors in the past.
“It was just too many comings and goings, bags getting carried in and carried out,” said Givens. “Loading up or bringing in cases of Gatorade. It was a little strange.”
“Girls would be doing stuff outside, mowing the lawn. The guy would be watching them. It’s almost like why,” said Clayton. “Neighbors said they saw them at five in the morning. Barefoot. Yeah, barefoot. Weird. Very strange.”
Though strange, neighbors call it a lesson learned.
“I think this neighborhood can be safer and people more watchful,” said Givens.
They also want more accountability from property owners.
“I also would like to see people that are renting houses that they do a little more due diligence with their tenants and they do more checks on can they pay the rent or is this a good neighborhood for that person," Clayton said. "Really think about who you’re putting in your homes to lease."
Now that the incident is in law enforcement’s hands, calmness and normalcy are back in the neighborhood.