Arrest Allegedly ‘Staged’ For Reality TV Leads To $2.5 Million Settlement

A Texas father will receive a settlement of $2.5 million from Williamson County after he said his son’s arrest was staged for a reality TV show.
On Tuesday, it was agreed that Williamson County Sheriff’s Office will pay Gary Watsky the multi-million dollar sum after his son Asher was arrested in 2019, which he argued was staged for the formerly canceled show Live PD, Variety reported.
Per the outlet, officers broke down Watsky’s front and back doors, deployed a non-lethal explosive grenade and entered his Cedar Park home in May 2019.
After being held at gunpoint and searched, Watsky was brought outside and that was when he reportedly saw a cameraman and was informed that the proceedings were being filmed for show Live PD.
His son had reportedly appeared in court earlier that day, and the officers said they were there to arrest Aston on separate charges.
Brad Vinson, Watsky’s lawyer, said that Aston should have been arrested for the charges when he showed up to court that day, Fox 7 reported.
Per the outlet, Vinson said, “We talked to witnesses who were a part of the court staff, and they were able to say that the warrant wasn’t in the system. It was removed from their view, meaning that it was active at some point before, and then it was no longer active.”
Describing the arrest, the lawyer added, “He’s sitting in his house when two military-style vehicles roll down the street. Men with assault rifles, flak vests, flash bangs, break down the front door and back door, and they start clearing the house as if there is a terrorist.”
According to Fox’s Texas outlet, Vinson reportedly said that he believed Sheriff Chody “orchestrated” the arrest for the show, and that someone hid the arrest warrant when Asher was in court—so that it could be taped later.
Vinson said the father was injured in the proceedings and his son continues to experience psychological impacts from the incident.
Newsweek has contacted Williamson County Sheriff Mike Gleason via email for comment.
The show Live PD, which first started in 2016, was canceled in 2020 but restarted again in 2022 as On Patrol: Live.
On the Live PD website, it had the following answer to a question on the cancelation: “Live PD producers and A&E networks made the decision that there was no way for the show to continue in its current form as protesters and politicians were calling for police reform following the death of George Floyd while restrained by a cop during an arrest.”
In 2019, there was also an incident where Javier Ambler, who was being arrested live on the show, died after a police chase and arrest.
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