Florida Man Sprays Flamethrower At Neighbor's Car To Settle Parking Dispute: Police

A Florida man has been accused of spraying fire from a commercial flamethrower toward a car with three teenagers sitting inside to settle a parking dispute.

Andre Abrams, 57, was angry over his neighbors’ parking habits and took the drastic measure on Nov. 30, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported. According to police, he used an XM42 Lite Flamethrower that can throw flame as far as 20 feet. The flamethrower does not require a license and can be legally bought in any state except California and Maryland.

As per court records, Abrams is facing three counts of felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intending to kill. He was released after posting a $15,000 bond. Currently, he is awaiting a decision on whether prosecutors will formally file criminal charges.

Amari Singleton, the vehicle's driver, told police that she and her two passengers saw Abrams approach their vehicle with the flamethrower. One of the passengers, Nate’talya Baker, 16, was in the car when Abrams started spraying the flame toward them. Baker’s mother, Ashley Gainey, acknowledged their long-standing dispute with Abrams and said he often uses the flamethrower to scare her guests.

"When he shoots it, it lights the whole road up," Gainey was quoted as saying by the outlet. "It's like it's daylight outside. He'll do it in the middle of the night."

Gainey said she saw Abrams shooting the flamethrower at the teenagers and allegedly confronted him during the incident. "He shot it toward them," she said to the outlet. "When I got to the door, he was still shooting it."

No one was injured in the incident. Police said the flame reached within 5 feet of the car, as the teens escaped through the passenger side door.

According to Abrams, he has a long-running dispute over parking with the neighboring family. "This family, how could I say this — the worst thing that could ever happen to a neighborhood," he said, adding: "They’ve had issues with other residents, and it needs to be brought to light."

Abrams admitted to using the flamethrower but denied targeting the teenagers, police said. It wasn’t clear whether police seized the flamethrower, WUFT reported.

This isn’t the first time that Abrams had to deal with the law. In the past, he was found guilty of three misdemeanor counts of domestic battery from 2002 to 2004.