A Florida mayor fired upon police as they raided his home early Thursday morning before he was taken into custody.
Port Richey Mayor Dale Massad fired two shots at Pasco County deputies as they busted through his door to arrest him on charges of practicing medicine without a license. None of the officers were hit and they did not return fire.
The 68-year-old Massad gave himself up a short time later and was taken into custody.
"He's lucky he's not dead," Sheriff Chris Nocco said.
In addition to the original charge, Massad will also be slapped with attempted murder charges.
Nocco pointed to Massad's history of drug use, his past violence and threats of violence, and the multiple guns he owns as justification for conducting a raid on the home to make an arrest.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, the SWAT team first tried breaking through Massad's front door before blowing off the locks with a shotgun. Another deputy tossed in a flash bang grenade as the team prepared to enter the house, at which point police said Massad fired at them with a .40 pistol.
Port Richey has fewer than 3,000 residents and is just under 30 miles north of Clearwater. Massad has not held a physician's license since 1992, but he is accused of seeing patients at his home.
According to the Times, Massad first won election in 2015 by earning 182 votes. He was re-elected in 2017.
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.
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