LARGO -- Police said Dana Shelton did all the right things when officers approached a quarrel outside the tavern around midnight Sunday.

Shelton, 38, kept his hands up when asked.  Police said a quick check revealed a clean record, and officers told the Largo man he was free to go.

Shelton, who police said had been intoxicated, could have walked right back into JJ's Sports Lounge on the corner of Clearwater Largo Road and Rosemary Blvd. NW.

So they were baffled when he dialed 911 and told a dispatcher he was surrounded by police with guns drawn and needed help.

"Our officers were standing there scratching their heads," said Largo Police Sgt. Melanie Holley. "He called, standing there in their presence."

Booked into the Pinellas County Jail, Shelton now faces a misdemeanor charge of misuse of 911.

"It's one of our truth is stranger than fiction cases," Holley said.