Florida mayor opens fire on SWAT team serving warrant at his home

[Fargo]

Well, this guy is the mayor, and he has a record, and these guys knew what sort of person they were dealing with, and they didn't have media with them so....I'm not sure what that has to do with an unrelated incident in Indiana.

If you have an arrest warrant for a person you know to be armed and unstable, why serve it in the most dangerous way possible? Why give him the benefit of a reinforced door, and the protections that his home afford? He has a job, and you know where he works.

This is especially so, if you have a search warrant that is going to get you into his house once you pick him up anyway.

Like Denny said upthread...

 

[LCSOSgt11]

I'm surprised that he is still breathing. Of course, the media only wonders about whether he has an attorney or not. Naturally.

 

[newtothis]

A bad situation that fortunately wasn’t worse.... that’s all that needs to be said.

 

[Fargo]

I'm surprised that he is still breathing. Of course, the media only wonders about whether he has an attorney or not. Naturally.

Maybe the cops figured that since they had opened fire on his door instead of making the ram work, they weren’t in the best legal situation? Since it appears they started blazing away first, the “attempted murder“ charges are going to be really really problematic.

Shooting the door open on a predawn forced entry warrant service on a licensing violation, have to say that’s a unique one to me.

 

[Mongo59]

Sounds like they were trying to swat a fly with a Buick.

Maybe we should be asking why they thought such force was necessary. To me it smells of "righteous indignation" that a person OTHER THAN the normal suspect be accused of wrong doing. Making an example, showing no favoritism and other forms of righteous indignation will tend to make a person's response unequal to the offense.

No matter how "good" or "bad" their perspective outcome, the means (IMO) shows a lack of respect to the individual and property in general. If agents of the court are allowed to depersonalize individuals down to sub-human or unworthy for the purpose of mounting an attack to "serve the community" then the community is no longer safe.

But then again, walking into someones office and handing him an envelope doesn't get you on the news nor allows you to feel vindicated like like a D-Day reenactment will...

 

[Frank_N_Stein]

Seems to me like none of the INGO members were there or have all the information but are still commenting like they were, or do.

 

[Shadow01]

So a town of 2800 residents has a SWAT team? That’s a hell of a tax burden for those folks.

 

[Frank_N_Stein]

So a town of 2800 residents has a SWAT team? That’s a hell of a tax burden for those folks.

Did you read the story?

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Virginia pulls out ahead, Florida battles back!

 

[MarkC]

 

[Fargo]

Seems to me like none of the INGO members were there or have all the information but are still commenting like they were, or do.

You including your colleagues in that assessment?

Damn near 50% of the INGO members commenting on this thread are/were LEOs.

 

[MarkC]

Did you read the story?

You mean like these kind of important words here?

Dale Massad, who was elected mayor in 2015, was arrested by the officers from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and accused of practicing medicine without a license.

 

[MarkC]

You including your colleagues in that assessment?

Damn near 50% of the INGO members commenting on this thread are/were LEOs.

And 50% of the other 50% are attorneys?

 

[Fargo]

And 50% of the other 50% are attorneys?

And 50% of that 50% of 50% were LEOs!

When the official LE story is that the cops took fire after SHOOTING the freaking DOOR open...

 

[churchmouse]

And 50% of that 50% of 50% were LEOs!

When the official LE story is that the cops took fire after SHOOTING the freaking DOOR open...

Yeah but really. Nothing else I just had to say that.

 

[KellyinAvon]

For the record I’m neither lawyer or LEO. I am waiting for the Paul Harvey moment, this story needs one.

 

[MarkC]

And 50% of that 50% of 50% were LEOs!

When the official LE story is that the cops took fire after SHOOTING the freaking DOOR open...

Giving the Hon. (yeah, right) Dr. Mayor the benefit of the doubt, how would a reasonable person respond to someone trying to bust down the front door, then shooting into the house?

Lots of fail all around here.

As Frank and others have noted, there are many much more straightforward ways to have handled this. I don't know about Florida, but practicing medicine without a license is a Level 5 felony in Indiana (IC 25-22.5-8-2(a)), and I would suspect in the vast, vast majority of cases it is not a violent crime.

As a side note, practicing law without a license in Indiana is only a Class B misdemeanor (IC 33-43-2-1). Go figure.

 

[Frank_N_Stein]

You including your colleagues in that assessment?

Damn near 50% of the INGO members commenting on this thread are/were LEOs.

My comment includes anyone that commented about how the officers did it incorrectly/they could have done it better or blames the officers' actions on them being shot at.

 

[Frank_N_Stein]

Giving the Hon. (yeah, right) Dr. Mayor the benefit of the doubt, how would a reasonable person respond to someone trying to bust down the front door, then shooting into the house?

Lots of fail all around here.

As Frank and others have noted, there are many much more straightforward ways to have handled this. I don't know about Florida, but practicing medicine without a license is a Level 5 felony in Indiana (IC 25-22.5-8-2(a)), and I would suspect in the vast, vast majority of cases it is not a violent crime.

As a side note, practicing law without a license in Indiana is only a Class B misdemeanor (IC 33-43-2-1). Go figure.

I never said anything about how it should have been handled. I am not SWAT and I don't have any information about the charges or the arrestee to give an accurate tactical plan, so I'm not even going to armchair QB it.

 

[Birds Away]

My comment includes anyone that commented about how the officers did it incorrectly/they could have done it better or blames the officers' actions on them being shot at.

I've learned in my brief time on INGO that INGOers are just better at everything. They require no training, knowledge or professional expertise. They just wing it and it always works.