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LAC-MEGANTIC, Que. — The lawyer for one of the men facing criminal charges in the Lac-Megantic train disaster is blasting police for the “brutal” manner in which they stormed into his client’s residence to arrest him.

“It was the kind of arrest you would do for some heavily armed Hells Angel,” Thomas Walsh told The Canadian Press on Tuesday.

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“Basically, the whole SWAT squad was there to arrest one guy who has been living in the same place since this tragedy happened.”

Walsh said Thomas Harding had been willing since last summer to appear in court voluntarily if the Crown ever decided to accuse him.

“They are just killing a mouse with a cannon,” Walsh said. “I don’t know what the purpose of it was but it was totally unnecessary.”

Harding, Jean Demaitre and Richard Labrie were arrested on Monday, with all three scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday afternoon on 47 charges of criminal negligence causing death.