Oklahoma deputies went to an apartment to carry out an eviction. A man inside greeted them with a blast of fire.

Newly released body-camera footage shows just how quickly that doorway turned dangerous, with flames filling the view as officers confronted the resident.

The encounter happened August 11 at an Oklahoma City apartment on South Harvey Avenue. The Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office released the footage Wednesday.

Watch the bodycam clip:

The recording begins in a hallway, where several officers stand outside a closed apartment door. Once the door gives way, they have to work past objects crowding the entrance.

Inside, boxes and other belongings fill much of the room. The camera turns toward an interior doorway, and a sudden orange flash floods the image.

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There is very little space between the officers and the fire.

KOKH FOX 25 reported that the resident knew he was being evicted but refused to leave, according to Oklahoma County Sheriff Tommie Johnson III. Deputies forced their way into the apartment after the man barricaded himself inside.

Johnson said the man was waiting in a bedroom and used a homemade flame launcher as deputies approached. The sheriff described eviction calls as among the most dangerous situations his deputies handle in their daily work.

And the flames were not the only concern inside that apartment: Johnson said the man had also constructed what appeared to be improvised explosive devices. A bomb squad and tactical team were called in to respond.

The sheriff said authorities did not believe those devices would explode because of the way they were constructed. He nevertheless emphasized the intent behind making them, even though they apparently lacked the ability to function as intended.

KFOR reported that deputies could feel the heat from the flames, according to sheriff’s office spokesman Aaron Brilbeck. He described the flames as reaching roughly 15 to 20 feet, underscoring the danger to the officers who had entered the unit.

The station also reported that an apparent explosive device was connected to a car battery inside the apartment. The bomb squad and tactical team helped de-escalate the confrontation, and authorities eventually persuaded the man to come out.

He was taken to a mental health hospital for treatment, according to the report. KFOR said the incident report listed alleged offenses involving assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, incendiary devices or explosives, and obstructing an officer.

Those entries describe what was recorded in the sheriff’s incident report; they do not establish a conviction. The station’s account did not establish that prosecutors had filed those charges in court.

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The officers had to get through a blocked entrance, react to flames at close range, and then deal with a suspected explosive threat.

That is a dangerous assignment by any measure. The bodycam makes the risk impossible to miss.

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.

 

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