I saw video of this on TV. He is in a neighborhood and was digging under adjacent property.
The were no support structures in place, and it was in threat of collapse.
I’m not endorsing the city of Austin’s action. The man is suing to get his property back.
I would say that the man was wrong to have gone as far as his neighbour’s property line. He should have stayed well away from that.
His neighbour probably saw his yard sink and called the city about it.
I suspected there was a catalyst for the invasion.
Tunelling into an adjacent property and undermining structural foundations could create some consternation among neighbors and building officials.
Still, there seems to be a radical element here that has gone way overboard.
I suspect they siezed his property because he was unable to pay the $90K to fill in the hole.