Police in Tallahassee have arrested a 54-year-old Florida man accused of attacking his roommate with hot cooking grease during a heated argument about house guests.
According to court documents obtained by WCTV, William Clark allegedly threw a pan of scalding grease on his roommate, Carl Sanders, following an ongoing dispute over visitors using their shared home to shower and socialize. The altercation happened on October 20 at their residence on Holton Street.
Investigators say the incident was caught on video by Sanders, who began recording when Clark became angry. In the footage, Clark can be seen walking out of the kitchen with a steaming pan of grease—reportedly left over from frying ribs—and confronting his roommate.
“Either you leave or I’m gonna make you leave,” Clark is heard saying before tossing the grease across the hallway. The liquid hit Sanders on the left side of his face, neck, and upper arm, leaving him with severe burns. Police noted that the victim appeared trapped in the hallway with no way to retreat.
Emergency responders airlifted Sanders to UF Shands Hospital in Gainesville, where he was admitted to the ICU burn unit.
When questioned, Clark reportedly gave multiple explanations for his actions. At first, he told officers he reacted because Sanders refused to leave and was recording him.
Later, he claimed Sanders “lunged” at him in a threatening way, though investigators wrote that Clark “was unable to articulate” what made the behavior threatening.
Clark also mentioned believing Sanders might have had a pocketknife, but police found no evidence that the roommate used or brandished one. Officers did find a small knife in a hallway, but confirmed Sanders denied holding it during the confrontation.
The affidavit adds that Clark admitted he “held the pan of hot grease to use it as a weapon” and even “refilled the grease in case he had to use it again.”
Clark was arrested by the Tallahassee Police Department and charged with aggravated battery causing bodily harm. He was booked into the Leon County Jail and later released on a $10,000 bond. A judge ordered him to stay away from Sanders and wear a GPS monitor.
Clark has entered a plea of not guilty.