OKLAHOMA CITY, Aug. 28 (Our Oklahoma Times) — Darron Dunn, 61, is accused of using an aerosol-fueled flame device against Oklahoma County sheriff’s deputies serving an eviction order at an Oklahoma City apartment. Out-of-custody charges were later filed, including assault with a dangerous or deadly weapon, an incendiary-device or explosives-related charge, and obstructing an officer.
The court handling the case, the case number and the charging document were not identified in the records available for this report. The charges are allegations, and Dunn has not been found guilty.
What happened at the apartment?
Deputies went to an apartment on South Harvey Avenue shortly before 11:55 a.m. Aug. 11, according to an Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office incident report.
During the encounter, the report said, Dunn sprayed an aerosol toward law enforcement and ignited it. Body-camera video released by law enforcement shows deputies reacting to the flames and moving away from the apartment.
The sheriff’s office said the flames traveled about 15 feet toward a deputy. No injuries were reported.
The incident report also said deputies found a car battery connected to wires near the apartment’s front door. Nearby, they found two rows of aerosol cans taped together with wires, according to the report.
An officer can be heard in the body-camera video saying, “He’s got it hooked up to the battery!”
Was the wired device an explosive?
Authorities treated the wired setup as a potential hazard and evacuated the building. Sheriff’s tactical personnel and bomb technicians responded, according to the incident report.
Bomb technicians disabled and removed the device. A sheriff’s office spokesperson told Fox News that technicians determined it was unlikely to explode as configured. The spokesperson said the setup still could have sparked or heated up if bare wires touched a terminal on the car battery.
That distinction matters. The available records describe the device as an apparent improvised explosive device, but they do not establish that it was capable of detonating. The reports also use different descriptions for the related criminal charge, including an incendiary-device or explosives charge.
What charges were reported?
The reported charges include assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, or deadly weapon, along with possessing, using, manufacturing or threatening to use an incendiary device or explosives and obstructing an officer.
Some reports also list aggravated assault. The differences cannot be resolved without the formal charging document, which was not provided.
Because the filings were described as out-of-custody charges, the available information does not show whether Dunn was booked, arraigned or held in jail. It also does not identify a judge, prosecutor or court.
What happened to Dunn afterward?
The incident report said Dunn was detained and initially taken to a Veterans Affairs hospital for medical issues or evaluation. Some reports said he was later moved to an unnamed mental-health hospital.
The available records do not explain the reason for the medical or mental-health treatment. They also do not establish whether Dunn remains hospitalized or has been released.
The Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office has not been identified in the supplied records as reporting injuries to deputies, residents or Dunn during the incident. Residents were evacuated while the bomb squad made the device safe.
