The Other McCain

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68 Shots: ‘That’s All the Bullets We Had, or We Would Have Shot Him More’

Posted on | November 9, 2020 | Comments Off on 68 Shots: ‘That’s All the Bullets We Had, or We Would Have Shot Him More’

Angilo Freeland, a/k/a “Dread,” was a native of the Caribbean island of Antigua, and how he ended up in Florida is not entirely clear. Freeland was something of a mysterious figure, an enforcer for an international drug trafficking ring, and investigators believe he had killed at least 15 people in his role as a “paid assassin.” His criminal career ended after Freeland made the mistake of killing a Polk County deputy in 2006.

If you know anything at all about Florida, you should know this: Do not commit crime in Polk County, where Grady Judd has been the sheriff for the past 15 years. Judd is a career law-enforcement officer who went to work for the sheriff’s department as a teenager. By the time he was 27, he had attained the rank of captain, and was supervising 44 employees, all of whom were older than him. Judd is a sort of Florida celebrity, known for his “tell-it-like-it-is” press conferences. The Polk County Sheriff’s Department has solved 100% of its homicide cases since 2012, and anyone who thinks they’re going to get away with a crime there had better think again. The citizens of Polk County are just as tough as their sheriff who, by the way, has been unopposed in his past two reelections.

Last month, a criminal named Christopher Hendrix, who had served seven years in prison on an attempted murder charge (plea-bargained down to aggravated battery), decided to go on a rampage in Polk County. He tried to carjack a woman at a convenience store while she was pumping gas, but the lady turned the tables, dousing Hendrix with gasoline, and he decided to try his luck elsewhere. Next, he tried to carjack a van, but the van owner had a concealed-carry permit, and Hendrix found himself staring down the barrel of a pistol. This caused Hendrix to flee the convenience store, and he was later arrested on I-4.

During his press conference, Sheriff Judd praised the citizens who resisted Hendrix: “But you know what is really cool about Polk County? We fight back. We fight back against criminals. We carry concealed firearms and heck, the lady that didn’t have a concealed firearm used a gas hose, which worked just remarkably well.” Sheriff Judd said: “This violent, convicted felon was bound and determined to forcibly steal a car this morning, but our citizens said, not today.” And he went further:

“I guarantee you, when you start trying to carjack somebody’s car at the gas station, you’re subject toget shot. And shot a lot.”
An unidentified reporter responded, “You don’t think that’s a dangerous message you’re putting out?” Judd replied, “The message is, you don’t have to have a firearm. You don’t have to have a knife to be a dangerous individual. And if you come to this county, and if you use extreme violence, to try to carjack somebody from their car, if you get shot that’s on you. You can protect yourself and your property.”

 

You see what I mean about Polk County? This is a place where folks take public safety seriously, and criminals should avoid going there.

But maybe someone forgot to warn Christopher Hendrix. They didn’t tell him what happened to Angilo “Dread” Freeland in 2006. Freeland shot two deputies, killing one and wounded another, and also killed the deputy’s K-9. Sheriff Judd sent his SWAT team after Freeland. They fired 110 shots, and hit him with 68 bullets. A reporter asked the sheriff why the suspect was shot so many times, to which Sheriff Judd replied: “That’s all the bullets we had, or we would have shot him more.”




 

 

Category: Crime, Florida

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