Video footage allegedly captures a Florida man injecting a substance into his neighbor’s residence after reportedly complaining about noise coming from the neighbor’s upper-floor apartment.
Umar Abdullah, his pregnant wife and their infant daughter had been having issues with their downstairs neighbor, Xuming Li, local outlet WFLA reported Thursday. Abdullah’s family eventually fell ill with fatigue, sickness and vomiting following months of back-and-forth exchanges between Abdullah and Li, according to the outlet.
Abdullah initially smelled an odor similar to nail polish remover but even stronger, WFLA reported. After numerous investigations involving an air conditioning company, a plumber and even the fire department, the source of the strange smell remained unknown. (RELATED: Bus Crash On First Day Of School Leaves 1 Student Dead, Over 20 Wounded)
“I look at my daughter,” Abdullah told WFLA. “Her eyes were full of tears. She was not crying, but her eyes were full of tears.”
A Tampa Bay area family says they fear for their safety after catching their neighbor on camera injecting chemicals into their front door. https://t.co/UpbU9zZDEM
— KTVU (@KTVU) August 24, 2023
Abdullah began to suspect Li and put a hidden camera outside his home, according to FOX13. After checking the hidden camera and readjusting the angle numerous times, Abdullah allegedly saw Li appearing to inject a substance via syringe into a crack in the doorframe.
“Even during war, the worst enemies do not attack the opponent, the other party, with chemicals,” Abdullah told WFLA.
“We were shaking,” Abdullah continued. “We can’t imagine that he is coming and doing something.”
Abdullah immediately evacuated his family and contacted the authorities, according to WFLA. Police arrested Li on multiple charges, including drug possession and burglary. A hazmat test confirmed the presence of opioids in the chemical agent, WFLA reported, citing an affidavit from the Tampa Police Department. Li was once a chemistry PhD student at USF but is no longer enrolled at the school, according to the outlet.
“A neighbor, who supposedly, who’s seemingly a regular guy, he was coming and harming us with chemicals,” Abdullah told WFLA. “And that was very scary for us.”