An Oklahoma man facing eviction barricaded himself inside a darkened apartment, stripped naked, and fired a makeshift flamethrower at three sheriff's deputies who kicked down his door, and bodycam footage captured the entire confrontation.
Deputies from the Oklahoma Sheriff's Department arrived at an apartment on South Harvey Avenue in Oklahoma City just before noon on August 11 to serve an eviction order. They found the front door blocked by a large object from inside. After forcing their way in, they entered a pitch-black apartment and swept the rooms with flashlights.
What the flashlight beams landed on stopped them cold. A naked man sat in a chair, gripping an unidentified device. The deputies ordered him to put it down.
Seconds later, the man ignited the device, an aerosol spray rigged as a makeshift flamethrower, and a burst of fire exploded toward the officers. Bodycam footage published by the New York Post shows the moment the flames erupted in the confined space.
After the initial blast, deputies managed to detain the suspect. The entire apartment building was evacuated as a precaution, and a bomb squad was called in to safely disable and remove the improvised device from the unit.
The suspect was taken to a Veterans Affairs hospital for treatment related to medical stress. He was later transferred to a mental health facility. His name has not been released.
He faces several charges, including assault, obstruction, and use of explosives. The current status of those charges, whether formally filed or still pending, has not been disclosed.
The incident underscores the unpredictable danger law enforcement officers face during what should be routine civil proceedings. An eviction notice is paperwork. Deputies showed up to deliver it and walked into a barricaded, blacked-out apartment with an armed occupant who had prepared an incendiary weapon.
Several details remain unclear. The source reporting, originally from Oklahoma City's KOCO, did not identify the suspect by name or age, did not specify whether any deputies were injured in the flamethrower blast, and did not explain the grounds for the eviction order. The agency listed as the "Oklahoma Sheriff's Department" appears to refer to the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office, though the precise agency has not been confirmed.
The suspect's transfer from a VA hospital to a mental facility suggests he may be a military veteran, though that has not been stated outright.
No one should have to dodge a wall of fire for delivering a court order. The men and women who serve these papers deserve better than walking into a trap, and the people who set those traps deserve every charge the law allows.
