A Florida man, frustrated with his roommate over the presence of unwelcome guests, allegedly issued a stark ultimatum: “Either you leave or I’m gonna make you leave.” When the roommate opted to stay, the situation escalated violently, with the man hurling hot grease at him, as detailed by police reports.

William Clark, 54, residing in Tallahassee, has been charged with aggravated battery causing bodily harm following the October 20 incident. A probable cause affidavit, obtained by Law&Crime, reveals Clark’s intense anger drove him to refill the grease, implying he was prepared to use it again if necessary.

During the confrontation, the roommate captured the event on his cellphone. The video shows Clark approaching slowly with a pan filled with grease, initially used for frying ribs, according to the affidavit. The police reviewed this footage as part of their investigation.

As the situation unfolded, the victim reportedly asked, “You got this?” moments before Clark allegedly splashed the scalding grease onto him. This act resulted in severe burns on the left side of the victim’s face, neck, and upper left arm, necessitating hospitalization for his injuries.

The affidavit provides further details, noting that the pan in Clark’s hand was visibly steaming due to the heat of the grease. The recording begins with the victim standing in the hallway of their residence while Clark is in the kitchen. Clark then exits the kitchen, moves toward the hallway where the victim is, and delivers the ultimatum, “Either you leave or I’m gonna make you leave.”

The roommate was allegedly in a location of the apartment where he had “no mode of retreat,” according to police. “Grease was found throughout the residence in the hallway where [the victim] said he was when Clark threw it,” the affidavit says. “Grease was also located in a pan on the stove as well.”

According to Clark, he and the victim have had “ongoing disputes” about the roommate allowing subjects to come over and use the bathroom and shower. Clark told police the victim was turning the home into a “drug zone,” with a friend of theirs confirming to cops that Clark “was upset” over the roommate “having guests over and was yelling” about it prior to the incident, the affidavit says.

Police say Clark gave three different reasons for why he threw the grease.

“Clark first stated during questioning that he threw grease on [the victim] because he started recording and yelling that he was not leaving,” the affidavit alleges. “Clark, several minutes later, then said that [the victim] stood up in a ‘threatening’ manner and ‘lunged’ at him.”

Clark was allegedly “unable to articulate” what made his roommate’s actions “threatening” and stated that he “held the pan of hot grease to use it as a weapon” and to “defend himself,” according to the affidavit.

The roommate ran from the apartment after being attacked and the police were called. He was transported by emergency helicopter to a local hospital and was said to be undergoing treatment in the ICU burn unit there.

Clark was arrested by the Tallahassee Police Department on Wednesday and booked into the Leon County Jail. He was granted a $10,000 bond and ordered to stay away from the victim, along with wearing a GPS monitoring device. He has entered a plea of not guilty.