August 25 – Florida Man Reunited With Pet Kangaroo With Help From Sheriff’s Helicopter

Thanks to the work of pilots from the aviation unit of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, a kangaroo was returned to the home of a Florida man who had been looking for his pet marsupial for hours in the Temple Terrace district of Tampa. The incident was reported on a social media update posted to Facebook by the sheriff’s office, and it featured portions of the 911 call made by a resident of an upscale apartment complex near the University of South Florida campus.

The 911 caller reported seeing a kangaroo hopping around the swimming pool and clubhouse area of the gated apartment complex, which the animal entered by jumping over a fence. A police helicopter was in the air when the call came through, and it hovered over the area until the crew spotted the marsupial moving around a greenbelt section behind the pool. Technicians from the Agricultural Unit, who typically handle the removal of alligators and invasive Burmese pythons, were dispatched to capture the kangaroo.

Thanks to a microchip tag implanted in the kangaroo, deputies were able to pull captive wildlife registration details from the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). This information allowed them to locate and contact the owner. No charges were filed in this case because the kangaroo did not cause any damages or injuries; plus, it looked well-nourished and healthy. Sadly, this is not always the case when a Florida man decides to keep non-domesticated wildlife as pets.

In previous Florida man incidents involving escaped exotic pets, FWC agents spent two days flying drones in search of Storm, a female kangaroo that broke out of a menagerie in Jupiter Farms, and a man from Fort Lauderdale was charged with keeping another kangaroo without a permit after the animal escaped and almost caused a road traffic accident.

See Also:

• Florida Man Headlines – August 24
• Florida Man News – August 23
• Florida Man Calendar – August 22

August 25 – After Stealing Hair Care Products, Florida Man Sicced Pit Bull on Police Officers

Avery Davis, a Palm Beach County resident with a long rap sheet, was charged with two counts of assault on a police officer after he commanded his dog to attack during a foot chase, but his evasive strategy ultimately backfired. According to a news report published by the Palm Beach Post newspaper, the incident unfolded in a commercial district along Old Dixie Highway in Riviera Beach, specifically the section renamed President Barack Obama Highway, and it began with a robbery investigation on a Monday morning.

Two officers from the Riviera Beach Police Department responded to a call from a beauty shop that had been robbed as clerks were preparing to open for business. They noticed Davis walking a pit bull on a leash while carrying a large bag filled with hair care products; he matched the description of the suspect provided by the store clerks, so they ordered him to sit on the ground and grab his dog, which had been trying to get away from Davis.

In a matter of seconds, Davis leaped from the ground and quickly ran away from the officers, one of whom unsuccessfully deployed his Taser weapon while the suspect was getting away and his pit bull kept getting tangled in the leash. The other officer was able to properly fire the Taser with both hooks latching onto Davis, but he only went down briefly before pulling off the hook and yelling to his excited dog “Kill ’em, boy!”

What happened next suggests that the pit bull may have felt playful or misinterpreted the command. Instead of charging against the police officers, the dog bit Davis on his buttocks and tried to bite his head before running away from the scene. The Florida man was eventually spotted hiding under a car, but his dog was not found.