The chair and the vice chair of the Apache Tribe of Oklahoma hired a private security firm to take over tribal headquarters on Tuesday, according to news reports.

Chairman Alonzo Chalepah and Vice Chair Mary Rivera were locked out of headquarters after tribal members voted 74-0 to remove them from office. But Chalepah and Rivera say the vote was illegal so they used force to take control of the building.

"They ‘bum-rushed' us through the door, and we turned around and ran out the door," Jonathan Scott said of the private security guards hired by Chalepah and Rivera. "We were hiding, and they just threw us down out the van, and they just held us at gunpoint and handcuffed us."

Rivera said the move was necessary to prevent the Bureau of Indian Affairs from cutting funds to the tribe.

Get the Story:
Political standoff between Apache tribe and allegedly recalled tribal officials (KWSO 9/9)
Apache offices change hands in Anadarko (The Oklahoman 9/10)
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