Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Los Angeles Times

    Out-squatted: Handyman Flash Shelton will squat with your squatters — until they leave

    by Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times Mar 19, 2024 9 minutes
    Flash Shelton, who calls himself the “Squatter Hunter,” offers to remove squatters for homeowners.

    LOS ANGELES -- On a winter morning in Woodland Hills, the “Squatter Hunter” slowly approaches a posh two-story home dressed in all black, armed with a Glock 26 pistol, stun gun, pepper spray and baton. His body camera is on. His two-man squad lurks behind him.

    They’ve spent four days in surveillance, learning the habits of the man squatting inside. They’ve waited for him to leave, but he never does. So they knock on the front door, and when the occupant opens it, they barge inside.

    Their plan: live with the squatter. Dirty the bathroom. Take the best spot on the couch. Commandeer the TV remote. Blast music. Drink his coffee. Eat his Cheetos.

    Out-squat him. And film it all for YouTube.

    As the body camera footage shows, the team starts installing Ring cameras throughout the home to document every interaction. The Squatter Hunter, Flash Shelton, hands the man a lease with Shelton’s name on it.

    “You’re an intruder in my house now,” he says.

    Shelton explains that the man is there illegally, and the team is not going anywhere until he leaves. The squatter was out before they could even share breakfast together.

    For homeowners in Southern California and beyond, run-ins with squatters can be a nightmare both emotionally and financially. For the Squatter Hunter, it’s just another day on the job.

    What started as a viral YouTube video has grown into a one-of-a-kind vigilante-style service, helping homeowners boot trespassers from their property.

    His motto: “If they can take a house, I can take a house.”

    A new identity

    Shelton, a California native,

    You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

    More from Los Angeles Times

    Los Angeles Times6 min readCrime & Violence
    UCLA’s Top Cop, Accused Of Security Lapse, Faces Calls To Step Aside. He Defends His Actions
    LOS ANGELES — The UCLA police chief is facing growing scrutiny for what three sources told the Los Angeles Times was a string of serious security lapses before a mob attacked a pro-Palestinian student encampment this week. But the chief, John Thomas,
    Los Angeles Times2 min read
    Bay Bridge To Be Relit, With Twice The Lights
    In the decade after they went up, the 25,000 LED lights illuminating the western side of the Bay Bridge endured a brutal pounding. “It’s the salty air, the wind, the fog, the rain, the 24-7 vibrations on the bridge, lightning strikes, car grit and gr
    Los Angeles Times3 min readCrime & Violence
    Before Mob Attack, UCLA Police Chief Was Ordered To Create Security Plan But Didn’t, Sources Say
    LOS ANGELES — On the morning before a mob attacked a pro-Palestinian student encampment at UCLA, campus Police Chief John Thomas assured university leadership that he could mobilize law enforcement “in minutes” — a miscalculation from the three hours

    Related Books & Audiobooks