As I recall, only (2) agents were required to bring in Ted Kaczynski ("The Unibomber")
replete with long weapons, body armor, and even a flash-bang grenade or two. The arrest took place at "zero dark thirty" or 5:30 A.M. Nevertheless, a CNN crew was on hand to film the whole thing.
Once upon a time, this level of force was considered necessary only to raid suspects able and inclined to shoot back, or who might destroy evidence. Think Symbionese Liberation Army or drug kingpin Frank Lucas of American Gangster fame. In such cases, in which the suspects really might shoot back, a television crew would never be allowed, on the grounds that they could be killed in the crossfire. The fact that a CNN crew was allowed to film Stone's arrest is evidence that nobody believed he was dangerous. Indeed, he was not: he is 66-year-old white-collar suspect with no prior history of violence, who didn't even have weapons in his house. Even the judge processing Stone's arraignment implicitly accepted that Stone was not dangerous; he allowed Stone to be released on a $250,000 surety bond.
The usual procedure in white-collar cases is not to assemble an unnecessary SWAT team. Instead, the Justice Department informs the suspect's attorney that the suspect has been indicted and needs to turn himself in to whatever courthouse for arraignment. The attorney informs the suspect and usually surrenders his client peacefully in the courthouse. No guns, no flash-bangs, no pre-dawn raids. Alan Dershowitz has said the only purpose of this level of force is to intimidate the mark into flipping on someone higher. In the case of Roger Stone, that can mean only President Trump.
Continues at link.