Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Thomas Spear speaks about a 2004 incident in which North Las Vegas police SWAT officers burst into his house and handcuffed him in what they thought was a barricade situation. Spear and his wife, Linda, said police overreacted, and they plan to file a $5 million federal lawsuit. Photo by Clint Karlsen. Linda Spear talks about a 2004 incident in which North Las Vegas police SWAT officers burst into the family's house and handcuffed her husband, retired Air Force Lt. Col. Thomas Spear. Photo by Clint Karlsen.

During Lt. Col. Thomas Spear's 25 years in the Air Force, he flew some of the country's premier fighter jets. Later in his career, he commanded a fighter squadron at Nellis Air Force Base. He was even called out of retirement to serve following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

With his upstanding military background, Spear can't understand why he was treated like a criminal two years ago when North Las Vegas police SWAT officers crashed into his home, handcuffed him and questioned him about a hostage.

Spear and his wife, Linda, said the incident left mental wounds that still haven't healed. They plan to file a lawsuit against the city in federal court this week seeking more than $5 million in damages for what they said was a police overreaction.

"We don't want anyone else to go through what we went through," Linda Spear said.

The incident began the evening of March 3, 2004, at the Spear family home on Whitehollow Avenue, near Tropical Parkway and Camino Eldorado.

Thomas Spear, who had brain surgery the year before, was taking a number of medications, including an anti-seizure drug. He called his wife about 5 p.m. and asked her to take him to the hospital because he had taken an extra dose of the medication.

About the same time, the Spears' son called police and told them his father was suicidal and had guns in the house, said officer Tim Bedwell, a police spokesman.

The next thing Thomas Spear remembered after calling his wife was hearing an explosion inside his house and seeing North Las Vegas SWAT officers coming in.

"Suddenly, in the middle of sleeping, glass is flying everywhere, and it's the SWAT team," Thomas Spear said.

Because of the extra medication, Thomas Spear had been asleep at his kitchen table and never knew police were outside his house for more than five hours, he said.

Police had called the home about 25 times, but Thomas Spear didn't know they were calling because the phone was off the hook and the calls went to voice mail.

After breaking through the patio door, SWAT officers handcuffed Thomas Spear and dragged him through the shattered glass from the broken patio door, he said.

The glass sliced his buttocks and legs, forcing emergency surgery. Some glass fragments were still lodged under his skin, he said.

The officers yelled obscenities at him and questioned him about a hostage before they ransacked the house in search of weapons, he said.

He had been the only one inside the house.

The Spears said they don't understand why police didn't allow Linda Spear or neighborhood friends who came forward to go into the house and help Thomas Spear. They also said they don't understand why the SWAT officers had to burst through the glass patio door when they could see Thomas Spear asleep at the table.

"It was almost like it was some sort of exercise for them," said Brent Bryson, the Spears' lawyer. "It's a completely outrageous abuse of police authority."

Although he wouldn't comment on the lawsuit or other specifics of the incident, Bedwell said police usually handle such incidents carefully because of the potential for harm to a suicidal person and others in the area.

After the incident, the Spears were shunned by neighbors, and Thomas Spear lost respect among his peers at Nellis Air Force Base, they said. The Spears sold their home of 11 years and moved to Henderson, where they ran into legal battles with a homeowners association because they parked some of their classic cars in the street. The Spears were forced to sell nine of the 12 cars, which had been restored by Thomas Spear.

"He didn't do anything to deserve this," Linda Spear said.

Thomas Spear, who was left partially paralyzed following his 2003 brain surgery, said the shame and mental anguish he's felt since the SWAT incident was the worst thing he's ever had to deal with.

"It's much worse than being paralyzed on half your body," he said.