Hundreds ‘ambush’ Tampa police responding to report of shots fired, 2 officers injured, chief says

[TheComputerGroup]

Two Tampa police officers were injured early Saturday after a crowd of hundreds surrounded a group of officers in an "ambush," the Tampa police chief said.

Officers were responding to a report of shots fired and a possible gunshot victim at an intersection near the Ybor City neighborhood around 1 a.m., Chief Brian Duggan told reporters Monday. A crowd of hundreds was at the scene when police arrived.

As offices searched for a possible victim, Duggan said the hundreds of people blocked all four ends of the intersection and became aggressive. The crowd surrounded officers, threw bottles and glass, and jumped on a police vehicle. Officers could not locate a victim.

"It's an ambush. I have no other way to describe it,” Duggan said. “When there are that many people out there and clearly no one had been shot. It was just a set up to get the cops there."

One officer was hit in the head with an object and suffered a small laceration and swelling, police said. The officer was treated and released from the hospital. A second officer who was hit in the head with a glass bottle is also expected to be OK.

Aerial footage from the scene shows a crowd surrounding officers at an intersection and officials can be heard over audio saying that an officer had been struck with a bottle. At one point, a large group of the crowd can be seen running away down the street.

“There were hundreds of them,” Dugan said, referring to the crowd. “Hundreds. We actually ended up having to call every single police officer that was available that night to respond there, from New Tampa to South Tampa.”

Duggan said that over 100 officers responded to the scene. One person was arrested.

Responding to a question on department morale during this time of heightened anti-police sentiment, Duggan said the pressure currently on police officers is “incredible.”

“Just by doing your job, whether you’re right or wrong, it doesn’t matter right now,” he said. “No one is listening. Any justified action is getting twisted.”

The chief called on residents to “step up and support their cops.”




https://www.foxnews.com/us/tampa-officers-injured-hundreds-ambush-police-video

 

[TheComputerGroup]

So they're starting this kind of crap up again ........it's gonna get ugly.

 

[cybersharp]

It's MARTIAL LAW time. Just lock 'em down until November with National Guardsmen.

Require passes to leave dwellings, for approved purposes only.

No one travels anywhere without ID, period. Checkpoints at intersections.

Hey, governments can play the power games too, and they have the law
on their side. Plenty of ammo too.

 

[TheComputerGroup]

It's MARTIAL LAW time. Just lock 'em down until November with National Guardsmen.

Require passes to leave dwellings, for approved purposes only.

No one travels anywhere without ID, period. Checkpoints at intersections.

Hey, governments can play the power games too, and they have the law
on their side. Plenty of ammo too.

And we still have over 4 months until the Nov elections.........the radicals will be out full force.

 

[StevieRay]

Public hangings on Sunday. Even the fucking guillotine will cut this down.

 

[TheComputerGroup]

Tampa police chief on 'ambush' of officers: 'We won't take a knee,' protests have not remained peaceful



Florida's Tampa Police Department will not "take a knee" for Black Lives Matter protesters who have not remained peaceful, Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan stated Thursday.

In an interview on "Fox & Friends" with hosts Steve Doocy, Ainsley Earhardt, and Brian Kilmeade, Dugan said he believes that the country is at a "crossroads," but that if protesters and residents are going to make enemies out of those sworn to serve and protect them, they better be prepared to "make friends with the criminals."

Early on Saturday morning, two of Dugan's officers were injured while responding to a report of shots fired and a possible gunshot victim. However, when they arrived at the scene, a crowd of hundreds was there to greet them. As the officers searched for a possible victim, the massive group of people blocked their path and became aggressive.

According to Dugan, the mob surrounded officers, threw bottles and glass, and jumped on a police vehicle. Officers could not locate a victim.

"It's an ambush. I have no other way to describe it,” Dugan told reporters in a news conference on Monday. “When there are that many people out there and clearly no one had been shot. It was just a set up to get the cops there.

"We have changed our protocols where we send at least two officers to any type of call that we’re going to. Whether it’s a delayed burglary or whatever. This incident we actually sent nine officers to and it was clearly just a set up to get the cops there and then surround them," the chief explained on Thursday. "But, this is what we’re dealing with, you know?"

Dugan told the "Friends" hosts it felt like a no-win situation for his department.

"If we show up and take action, you know, we're heavy-handed, you know, it’s ‘excessive force,'" he said. "You know, [with] these peaceful protests, demonstrations -- they turn on a dime and they can turn on the cops very quickly."

In addition, according to Dugan, prosecutors also aren't "depicting the whole story and leaving the portions out that [don't] fit their narrative" including the destruction of police property.

"And, I think we’re running into a situation in this country where, you know, people are now so afraid they’re going to lose their job, that they’re not doing their job," he noted.

"You know, I assure you that, you know, we are not going to take a knee. We are going to stand up. We are going to defend our city," he concluded. "We are the guardians of the city. And, we have no [intention] of handing over the key to the city to these protesters who quite frankly are just not always peaceful."


https://www.foxnews.com/media/tampa-police-chief-blm-protests-not-peaceful