TAMPA, FLORIDA — A Florida man used a syringe to inject an odorous chemical under the crease in his neighbor’s front door because he wouldn’t quiet down, a new report suggests.
Xuming Li, a former chemistry student at the University of South Florida (USF), was charged with possession of a controlled substance, battery and aggravated stalking, the New York Times reported on Sunday.
Li’s neighbor, Umar Abdullah, told the paper he caught Li on camera using a syringe to inject an unknown substance through the crease under his apartment door.
Abdullah said Li has been making noise complaints for over a year. In May, Abdullah started smelling strange chemicals in his apartment, which he says irritated his eyes and made it hard to breathe.
The mysterious odor prompted Abdullah to place a hidden camera outside his front door. On June 27, the camera recorded a man who he says looks like Li using a syringe to insert a liquid substance near the bottom of Abdulla’s door.
A police affidavit says recordings from the hidden camera reveal two separate instances of Li injecting unknown substances under the door.
“Preliminary hazmat testing on the scene indicated that methadone and hydrocodone, both opioids, were involved,” the Times report stated. “Samples are undergoing more thorough testing. During the investigation an officer was exposed to the substances and ‘experienced skin irritation and received medical treatment.’”
Li pleaded not guilty to the charges. His lawyer told the paper: “All the facts will come out in due time.”
