A routine eviction along Russell Parkway in Houston County, Georgia, turned dangerous when a man doused himself in gasoline and threatened to set himself on fire. No injuries were reported, and the man was taken into custody following the incident.
Authorities were executing the eviction when the man poured gasoline all over himself, according to the Houston County Sheriff's Office, as reported by WGXA. The man threatened to light himself on fire during the encounter, though no one was injured, Sheriff Matt Moulton said.
Man Taken Into Custody, Faces Mental Evaluation
The man was taken into custody after the incident, per Moulton. The sheriff said the man will be taken to a local hospital for a checkup and will be held for a mental evaluation. The eviction involved a subject who suffers from mental health issues, according to the same report.
Details surrounding the specific circumstances of the eviction, including who owned the property and the legal basis for removing the man from it, were not disclosed. It also remains unclear whether the gasoline was ever ignited during the confrontation.
Not an Isolated Type of Incident
Evictions escalating into threats of self-harm involving fire are not unheard of elsewhere in the country. In Oklahoma City, an man in his 80s reportedly set fire to himself during an eviction carried out by Oklahoma County sheriff's deputies in 2024, according to Free Press OKC. More recently, a suspect was taken into custody after deputies said he used a homemade flame launcher in an attempt to stop an eviction in Oklahoma County, as reported by IdahoNews/KOKH.
For now, the Houston County case appears to have ended without physical harm to the man or anyone else present. Sheriff Moulton's office has not released further details about the man's identity, the property involved, or any potential charges stemming from the incident.
