Meet ‘Squatter Hunter’ – Flash Shelton’s wild journey evicting illegal squatters

Flash Shelton never thought he would become a viral sensation. But these days, he’s the guy in black tactical armor — armed with pepper spray, a stun gun, a steel baton, a body camera and sometimes a Glock 26. His hat? He says bluntly, “Get out.”

Shelton is on a mission to remove occupied residents from unoccupied homes. “I own this house now,” he tells them. “You have until the end of the day to get the stuff out. Whatever’s left is mine.”

His methods are fast and effective. Instead of months or years of legal battles and expensive attorneys’ fees, Shelton’s confrontations often end with residents moving out within hours. “It all started because I was trying to be a good guy,” Shelton, now known as Squatter Hunter, said in an interview with People.

In 2019, after his father’s death, Shelton’s mother couldn’t sell her vacant house in Northern California because the residents had moved out. “The police told me there was nothing they could do — it was a civil matter,” Shelton told the media.

So he hatched a plan: his mother wrote a lease making him the official tenant, legally allowing him into the house. He drove 10 hours from Los Angeles, installed security cameras and confronted the residents.

“I basically said, ‘Look, I own this house now… I’m going to prosecute you if you try to come back home,'” he said. By midnight, they were gone.

Shelton’s first video of the encounter, posted in 2023, went viral with more than 6.3 million views. Now, property owners across the country are seeking his help. “I probably do three or four phone consultations a day,” he added. “Some people say I am doing godly work. Others say I’m doing the devil’s work.”

Shelton, who recently signed a TV production deal, explained his tactics to People.

He often begins by gathering information about squatters, conducting background checks and preparing videos of their movements.

“If it’s someone who’s worried about being able to rent a property in the future or if they’re worried about their reputation on social media or about losing their job, then that’s all I have to do – and they walk away,” he said. he. .

When that fails, he goes inside.

“I’ll say, ‘Hey, let’s have a conversation.’ And then I explain to them that we’re going to literally go in, that I’m going to occupy this space, and that we’re going to put cameras everywhere except for their bedroom and their bathroom.” he added.

If necessary, he will use the deactivation of services or the initiation of renovations to make the living situation unbearable. “I can take a chainsaw and cut the doors in half … turn their living space into a nightmare,” he said.

Despite the intensity, Shelton remains clean and in control.

“I’m tough … I’m their PE teacher or I’m their drill sergeant,” he said. His background as a baseball coach, business owner, and liar helps him handle these high-stress situations without losing his cool.

“I go into every single situation expecting the worst and adjusting to the best,” he added.

So far, he says his work has had real benefits.

“I believe I have helped hundreds of homeowners across the US and several other countries either directly on location or indirectly through Zoom consulting,” he told The Post in a statement. “I believe my biggest risk is perception. I make sure I protect myself and others by making sure all interaction is documented on camera with Veripic body cameras stored in unedited evidence lockers. Making sure I’m prepared and within the bounds of the law. Law enforcement is usually very supportive of my efforts. I start by including them in my plan and making sure dispatch knows I’m at the location.”