Florida mayor arrested after MPs fire during raid on his home

February 22, 2019, 00:35 GMT

By Elisha Fieldstadt

A Florida mayor, suspected of practicing medicine without a license, was charged with two counts of attempted homicide Thursday after shooting members of Parliament who were serving a search warrant at his home, police said.

Dale Glen Massad, Mayor of Port Richey, fired two bullets at members of the SWAT team at Pasco County Sheriff after announcing his approach to his home Thursday morning, said the sheriff. Chris Nocco.

He stated that his office had used the SWAT team to execute the warrant because Massad, 68, is a known drug user and a possessor of weapons with a history of violence.

"We knew the situation would be very dangerous, which turned out to be a reality," said Nocco.

When the policemen saw that Massad had a rifle, they told him to drop the weapon. he then fired, said Nocco.

No officer was injured or beaten.

"He fired on our members," said Nocco. "He's lucky not to be dead."

Massad has surrendered and was arrested shortly after firing on deputies, police said.

The arrest follows a four-month investigation that revealed that Massad, who lost his doctor's license in 1992, would have practiced medicine out of his home, according to the Florida law enforcement department.

He was arrested Thursday for practicing medicine without a license and was accused of attempted homicide, the news agency reported.

"No one is above the law," said Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody. "My office will work with law enforcement to investigate and prosecute all crimes under our jurisdiction, regardless of the political status or economic status of the target."

Massad was elected mayor of Port Richey, a city in northern Tampa with about 2,600 residents, in a special election in 2015.

He was recently arrested on charges of domestic violence, Nocco said. According to the Tampa Bay Times, the mayor and his resident companion have had many abuses of the law over the years.

"When you mention his name, the reputation is not the best," Nocco said. "People probably think of themselves," well, it's time. "

It is not known if Massad has a lawyer. Requests for comments from the Port Richey Mayor's Office were not returned.