Man uses flamethrower in parking dispute

A Gainesville antheral fed up with his neighbors’ parking habits decided to instrumentality matters into his ain hands — by firing a flamethrower astatine a car with teenagers inside, according to a Gainesville constabulary report.

Andre Abrams, 57, present faces a felony aggravated battle complaint for the Nov. 30 incident. It’s the latest successful a bid of crimes successful Alachua County involving residents wielding unorthodox weapons of opportunity, including a walker, frying pan, aesculapian urinal and a scooter. At slightest six cases this twelvemonth person progressive machetes.

When reached by phone, Abrams said helium could not remark further without an lawyer for fearfulness of being evicted. He did say, however, determination was much to the story.

“This family, however could I accidental this — the worst happening that could ever hap to a neighborhood,” Abrams said. “They’ve had issues with different residents, and it needs to beryllium brought to light.”

According to a GPD report, Abrams told officers helium had gotten progressively frustrated with his neighbors implicit a bid of parking disputes that afternoon. That vexation led Abrams to bash what helium deemed necessary: bringing retired his XM42 Lite Flamethrower, 1 that emits flames up to 20 feet long, to the car arsenic they sat inside.

Flamethrowers, celebrated for their movie appearances, person had a semi-resurgence precocious owed to tech entrepreneur Elon Musk’s Boring Company flamethrower. Musk sold 20,000 units of his “Not a Flamethrower” successful 2018 astatine $500, though those devices lone emitted flames up to 10 feet long. Abrams’ XM42 flamethrower retails astir $550.

Amari Singleton, the car’s driver, told constabulary she and her 2 passengers saw Abrams attack them with the flamethrower and statesman spraying. 

“You amended not pain up my car,” Singleton said, according to the report. Fearful for their lives, the 3 past scurried retired of the car done the passenger’s broadside doorway and ran, with Abrams continuing to spray his flames toward them.

Ashley Gainey, the parent of 16-year-old rider Nate’talya Baker, said the incidental was the culmination of aggregate heated disputes betwixt her household and Abrams. She said Abrams often sprayed his flamethrower to scare disconnected guests astatine her home, incidents she said she’s reported to the Gainesville Housing Authority.

“​​When helium shoots it, it lights the full roadworthy up,” she said. “It’s similar it’s daylight outside. He’ll bash it successful the mediate of the night.”

Gainey said Abrams’ apprehension came aft she told officers to cheque the cameras Abrams had surrounding his home, ones helium would tout whenever she’s antecedently called the constabulary connected him. To Gainey, it was agelong overdue.

“He changeable it toward them. When I got to the door, helium was inactive shooting it,” she said. “I asked him, ‘What is your effin’ problem?’”

Abrams admitted to spraying the flamethrower adjacent the car, though helium denied targeting the victims, the study said. The complaint marks Abrams’ archetypal felony arrest, though not his archetypal convulsive charge; he’s antecedently been recovered blameworthy of 3 misdemeanor counts of home artillery from 2002 to 2004.