The mayor of the small town of Port Richey, Dale Massad, was arrested by the police at dawn on Thursday for allegedly practicing medicine without a license, local media reported.



The Pasco County sheriff’s office, to which Port Richey belongs, with about 2,800 inhabitants, reported on its Facebook page that in an operation to arrest a judicially wanted person, after hearing the announcement of the SWAT team, the mayor fired upon them. The swat team did not respond with fire and fortunately, no one was injured.

The Tampa Bay Times newspaper and television channels indicated that the detainee, the mayor of Port Richey, had been arrested in 2018 for domestic violence and he said he was not willing to go to jail again, according to the sheriff.

The newspaper reported that Massad, 68, a Republican, may have continued to treat patients in his home despite the fact that in 1992 he lost his license to practice medicine in Florida.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said in a statement that “no one is above the law” and that her department will investigate and prosecute any crime “regardless of the political or economic position” of whoever commits it.

The Pasco sheriff announced a press conference to give details about this case.