The Port Richey mayor opened fire Thursday morning on Pasco County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team members when they tried to serve a search warrant.
Dale Glen Massad fired two rounds at authorities around 4:40 a.m. when they came to search his house as part of an ongoing investigation, Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said.
"He's lucky he's not dead," Nocco said at a news conference. "If somebody's firing at us, we have every means and every right to fire back at them."
Deputies with the SWAT team were helping the Florida Department of Law Enforcement in its investigation into Massad, whose medical license was revoked in 1992.
He’s a known drug dealer and user, Nocco said, without elaborating about the investigation into Massad.
Authorities announced their presence when they tried to enter the house, Nocco said. Massad was seen through a window holding a gun, before firing it twice. Before shooting, Massad said he did not want to go back to jail, Nocco said.
Deputies did not return fire. No one was injured.
Massad was arrested for domestic battery in August 2018. Nocco said he will be facing multiple attempted murder charges.
"I used to be up in D.C. area. They had Marion Barry up there," Nocco said at the news conference. "This is Port Richey's version."
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