OKLAHOMA CITY, Aug. 28 (Our Oklahoma Times) — Darron Dunn, 61, is accused of using an aerosol-fueled flame device toward Oklahoma County sheriff’s deputies during an eviction order service at an Oklahoma City apartment. The incident also involved a wired setup of aerosol cans near the apartment’s front door, according to an Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office incident report.
The reported charges include assault and battery with a dangerous or deadly weapon, possessing, using, manufacturing or threatening to use an incendiary device or explosives, and obstructing an officer. Some accounts also list aggravated assault. The available information does not identify the court, case number, prosecutor or charging document, and the exact wording of the counts could not be confirmed.
No injuries were reported. Here is what is known about the incident and the device found at the apartment.
What happened during the eviction?
Shortly before 11:55 a.m. Aug. 11, Oklahoma County sheriff’s deputies went to an apartment on South Harvey Avenue in Oklahoma City to serve an eviction order, according to the sheriff’s office incident report.
The report says Dunn sprayed an aerosol toward law enforcement and ignited it, creating what authorities described as an improvised flamethrower. Body-camera video released by law enforcement shows deputies retreating as the flames moved toward them.
The Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office said the flames traveled about 15 feet in the direction of a deputy. The identity of that deputy was not released in the available information.
What did deputies find near the door?
After the flame incident, deputies found a car battery with wires attached and another wired device near the apartment’s front door, according to the incident report.
The report described the setup as two rows of aerosol cans taped together, with wires connected to them. Because the device appeared to present a possible danger, residents were evacuated and sheriff’s tactical personnel and a bomb squad responded.
Bomb technicians disabled and removed the device, according to the sheriff’s office account. A sheriff’s office spokesperson said technicians determined the device was unlikely to explode in the way it was configured. The spokesperson also said it could have sparked or heated up if bare wires touched a car-battery terminal.
That distinction matters: Authorities described the object as an apparent improvised explosive device, but the available information does not establish that it was capable of detonating as a conventional explosive. Its precise technical classification has not been provided.
What happened to Dunn?
Deputies detained Dunn after the encounter. The incident report said he was taken first to a Veterans Affairs hospital for medical issues or evaluation. Some reports said he was later moved to a mental-health hospital, but the facility and the reason for that transfer were not identified.
The available information does not establish whether Dunn was formally booked, arraigned or held in jail. It says charges were filed while he was out of custody.
What do the charges mean?
An accusation is not a conviction. The reported assault-and-battery count alleges that Dunn used a dangerous or deadly weapon against law enforcement. The incendiary-device or explosives count concerns the alleged flame device and wired aerosol-can setup. The obstruction allegation concerns interference with deputies carrying out their duties.
The descriptions vary among the available accounts. Some use “dangerous weapon,” while others use “deadly weapon,” and some include aggravated assault. Without the charging document or a court docket, it is not possible to resolve those differences.
The Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office has not, in the available information, identified the court handling the case, the next hearing date or a lawyer for Dunn. Dunn’s account of the incident is also not included in the available records.
