by TChris

The Outlaws in Hartford, Connecticut didn't like the way the police behaved when executing a search warrant at their club's Christmas party. Some members of the motorcycle club are taking the Hartford police to court, claiming a civil rights violation.

Police were looking for a gun that they believed a member of the Outlaws possessed. They obtained a warrant to search the man's house and car, as well as the Outlaws' clubhouse. But the suit alleges that the police did more than search for the gun when they invaded the Christmas party.

According to the suit, state police officers forced people to the floor, handcuffed the revelers, searched for illegal guns, ripped open Christmas presents and photographed everyone before they left.

The Outlaws wonder whether such rude behavior would have occurred if police had executed the warrant at a Knights of Columbus party.

The suit argues that the police exceeded the scope of the warrant. Some of the members who were searched declined to join the lawsuit, saying they were "nervous that the police would seek them out afterward."