Man set up Facebook livestream before attacking Orlando officers with brick, police say

William McClish, 27, faces charge of attempted murder

ORLANDO, Fla. – Two officers were attacked in downtown Orlando by a man after he set up a camera to livestream the incident on Facebook, according to the Orlando Police Department.

Police said William McClish, 27, attacked the officers with a brick at Washington Street and Magnolia Avenue around 12:40 a.m. Saturday. Other officers responded and were able to take McClish into custody, police said. According to an arrest affidavit, an officer said they found a cellphone McClish set up that was live streaming on Facebook.

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The department said this is the second random attack on officers this week, coming three days after another two officers were shot at by a random group.

“One involved armed individuals who fired their weapons against the officers before they could get out of their car. The second happened last night when the individual took the time to setup his phone and do a live stream of his attack. The individual used a brick and caused significant injury to an officer and minor injuries to another. It took four officers to arrest him,” Orlando Police Chief Orlando Rolón said in a release.

William McClish (Image: Orlando Police Department) (Copyright 2021 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.)

The first attack this week happened Tuesday afternoon at South Lakeland Avenue and Jacobs Place. Two teenagers and one man were taken into custody following the officer-involved shooting, police said.

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Officers said the shooting happened near Camping World Stadium while two officers were in an unmarked cruiser but in clothing marked “police.” Rolon said the officers pulled up to the area where two teens and a young man were on bicycles, but before the officers could make contact, the suspects opened fire. These three face charges of attempted first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer with a weapon.

McClish faces several charges, including attempted first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer with a weapon.

“One officer has a significant facial injury. The other was bit and nearly had his eye gouged out. Our officers will recover from their injuries, but individuals like this who take premeditated steps to harm law enforcement officers and other human beings must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” Rolón said.

Orlando police released the video of the attack on officers Saturday morning. Click here to view it.


About the Author:

Brenda Argueta is a digital journalist who joined ClickOrlando.com in March 2021. She is the author of the Central Florida Happenings newsletter that goes out every Thursday.