Neighborhood feud in Colorado takes an unusual turn as tank rolls into cul-de-sac during filming of HBO show

An armored vehicle rolled through a neighborhood in the Denver metro area during filming for an HBO reality show last week and at one point a neighbor came outside with a rifle. The incident happened on Friday in Arvada, and it led to a police response.

No one was hurt and no arrests have been made, according to Arvada police. The police department said it remains under investigation as officers work to determine what happened and whether anyone may be at fault.

The incident happened while crews were filming for the HBO show "Neighbors," which is centered on real-life disputes between people who live close to one another. Police said the production or media company did not have a permit to film in the neighborhood, which is located on Lamar Drive near the intersection of 88th Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard.

Video from a landscaper with Refine Custom Landscaping captured the armored vehicle on video, and that video has been seen by many people on social media since.

Donald Larson lives in the neighborhood and said crews had been there for about a week before the tank-like vehicle rolled down the street. He knew filming was taking place but said he did not know an armored vehicle would be involved.

"When I seen a military tank coming around the corner, it gets your attention," Larson said.

Mark Dias, who was riding on top of the armored vehicle with a megaphone, gave a different account.

"Everybody in that cul-de-sac knew that that tank was coming down the road," Dias said. "It wasn't a surprise to anybody."

Dias said the production crew prepared people in the neighborhood before the vehicle arrived. He claims they even signed media releases, something police are working to confirm.

"They got everybody out on the porch. They got everybody miked up," Dias said. "Then they called action and had us roll down the road."

 Dias said he did not arrange for the armored vehicle, rent it or drive it.

"I did not organize the tank. I did not rent the tank. I did not drive the tank," Dias said.

Larson said Dias was using a bullhorn and making derogatory comments toward people in the neighborhood. Dias acknowledged using the megaphone and said at least some of his comments were part of the production.

"I'm over here cussing them out with a megaphone and they're laughing, and they were laughing and I couldn't even hold a straight face," Dias said.

Both accounts describe the situation escalating when another neighbor came outside with a rifle.

Larson said the person felt threatened and retrieved the weapon while warning Dias not to come onto his property. Larson said the rifle was never pointed at anyone.

Dias described the appearance of the gun as the moment the situation became dangerous.

"There was no anger, there was no aggression, nobody's life was in danger until that guy pulled a gun," Dias said.

The confrontation came amid a years-long dispute involving Dias and other neighbors. That group includes his next-door neighbor Chris Hunnel and the neighborhood's homeowners association, which is named after nearby Lake Arbor. Both Larson and Dias described tensions stretching back about a decade, though they offered sharply different accounts of what caused the conflict and who is responsible.

Hunnel told CBS Colorado he agreed to allow the production to film on his property but did not sign a media release. He said crews had been filming in the neighborhood before Friday's confrontation, but that he was not told an armored vehicle would be brought into the cul-de-sac.

Dias disputes that account.

Hunnel said he had previously declined to participate in the show because of concerns about the existing tensions between the households. He believes the production ultimately made an already volatile situation worse.

Larson said some neighbors remain concerned and unsafe even after the production crews and armored vehicle left.

"We're like, 'What's next?'" Larson said.

"Neighbors" is an A24-produced documentary series and there has been one season so far. HBO renewed it for a second season. 

The city of Arvada's website has a special section with instructions on how to apply for a film permit in the city.