Xuming Li, a University of South Florida chemistry doctoral student, was arrested in June 2023 after a hidden camera caught him injecting a liquid mixture of methadone and hydrocodone under the front door of his upstairs neighbor’s Tampa condo. He was charged with six felonies, pleaded not guilty, and was deported to China before his case reached trial. An arrest warrant remains active if he ever returns to the United States.1Law & Crime. Florida Man Who Allegedly Injected Chemical Agent Into Neighbor’s Condo Over Noise Complaints Is Deported to China
What He Did to His Neighbor
Li, 36, lived directly below Umar Abdullah, Abdullah’s wife, and their infant daughter in a Tampa condo building. The friction started shortly after the baby was born in 2022. Li filed repeated noise complaints, and the dispute escalated from there.
For more than a month before the arrest, the Abdullah family noticed a chemical smell in their unit. All three of them developed headaches Abdullah described as “worse than a migraine,” along with nausea, shortness of breath, drowsiness, and hair loss.2Bay News 9. Tampa Man Says Neighbor Was Poisoning Family With Chemicals The daughter’s eyes filled with tears during the exposures.3NBC Miami. Tampa Man Caught on Camera Injecting Opioid Chemical Agent Under Neighbor’s Door
Abdullah hid a camera in a plant near the front door. Footage showed Li crouching by the door on at least two occasions and using a syringe to push liquid through the doorframe into the apartment.4FOX 13 News. Former USF Chemistry Student Accused of Trying to Poison Neighbor Deported to China Abdullah said Li appeared to hold his breath as he did it.2Bay News 9. Tampa Man Says Neighbor Was Poisoning Family With Chemicals
A Tampa Police hazmat team tested the liquid and identified methadone and hydrocodone, both Schedule II controlled substances.5NBC News. Florida Man Caught on Video Allegedly Injecting Chemical Agent Into Neighbor’s Home An officer who contacted the substance during the investigation developed skin irritation and needed medical treatment.6Court TV. Police: Florida Man Injected Chemicals Into Neighbor’s Apartment
The Charges
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office arrested Li on June 27, 2023.4FOX 13 News. Former USF Chemistry Student Accused of Trying to Poison Neighbor Deported to China He was charged with one count of aggravated stalking, three counts of dispersing a chemical agent, one count of possession of a controlled substance, and one count of battery on a law enforcement officer for the officer’s exposure.5NBC News. Florida Man Caught on Video Allegedly Injecting Chemical Agent Into Neighbor’s Home He pleaded not guilty and was released from jail two days later on bonds totaling $5,750.2Bay News 9. Tampa Man Says Neighbor Was Poisoning Family With Chemicals
The USF Lab Question
Li had been enrolled as a Ph.D. student in USF’s chemistry department on a student visa. The university expelled him after the arrest in the summer of 2023.3NBC Miami. Tampa Man Caught on Camera Injecting Opioid Chemical Agent Under Neighbor’s Door
A breach-of-contract filing by the condo owners association alleged Li had used a USF campus laboratory “to mix and load liquid syringes on multiple occasions.” USF disputed the claim, saying its chemistry labs “do not house chemicals that are classified as Schedule II controlled substances, which includes hydrocodone and methadone,” and that safeguards controlled access to lab materials.7New York Post. Florida Man Accused of Injecting Opioid Under Neighbor’s Door Used University Lab to Mix Toxins How Li obtained the drugs was never publicly resolved.
Why He Was Never Tried
The expulsion from USF cancelled Li’s student visa. Ahead of a scheduled December 5, 2023 court hearing, Immigration and Customs Enforcement placed him on a hold, and he did not appear. A spokesperson for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit told reporters Li was being deported and added, “We don’t expect him back at the courthouse.”8NewsNation. Tampa Florida Man Accused of Injecting Chemical Agent Deported The judge issued a capias for failure to appear.
Li’s defense attorney, Adam Bantner, confirmed in December 2023 that Li had been deported to China. Bantner called the criminal case “on pause,” saying prosecution is unlikely while Li is in China but the warrant stays active. The state’s attorney’s office confirmed the charges have not been dismissed and would be pursued if Li re-enters the United States.1Law & Crime. Florida Man Who Allegedly Injected Chemical Agent Into Neighbor’s Condo Over Noise Complaints Is Deported to China
The Family Afterward
Abdullah described the family as “horrified” and “shaken.” “We never expected anyone doing something, a neighbor who we knew by face at least for a year,” he told reporters.2Bay News 9. Tampa Man Says Neighbor Was Poisoning Family With Chemicals He said the exposure left the family fearful of ordinary sounds in their own home and gave him a lasting aversion to living on upper floors.9WBAY. Father Alleges Neighbor Tried to Poison His Family After Noise Complaints