Rapper 10cellphones blasts a flamethrower across wet pavement just feet from gas pumps in Charlotte [VIDEO]

A reckless late-night stunt collides with misinformation about his felony WMD case

The flamethrower clip that sent Charlotte rap figure 10cellphones trending this week isn’t new. Also, it isn’t the reason he was arrested. But when the footage resurfaced, it showed the rapper casually igniting commercial-grade flames beside fuel pumps and passing cars. So, the internet did what it always does. They stitched chaos together, missed the context, and created its own version of events.

In fewer than 30 seconds, the video captures the kind of stunt that looks engineered for virality. There was fire arcing across wet pavement, bystanders reacting off-camera, and a gas station turned into a reckless performance stage. But as the clip made its rounds, users paired it with headlines about 10cellphones’ three felony WMD charges. Therefore, assuming the flamethrower triggered the arrest. The truth is stranger. Instead, the weapon charges were tied to a separate 2023 investigation involving an auto-sear and silencers — not the flamethrower.

The result is a narrative where one dangerous act became the face of an entirely different case. Thus, raising questions about timing, perception, and the blurry lines between content and consequences.

A Backpack Flamethrower, Soaked Pavement, and a Dangerously Casual Situation

One moment, 10cellphones is topping off fuel beside a standard gas pump; the next, he’s unleashing a stream of fire across the glossy pavement as if testing a new toy. The flames stretch outward in quick arcs — first toward the pump island, then toward the street, then across the water-slick ground where orange light ripples in reflection.

Cars roll past in the background. Someone off-camera gasps. Another mutters something muffled, the tone unmistakably: what the heck is he doing?

Nothing explodes. Nothing catches. But visually, the risk is obvious. He’s steps away from gasoline fumes, active fueling, and a row of vehicles. The only thing preventing a disaster is the wet pavement and dumb luck.

If the stunt looks like something out of a viral dare challenge, that’s because it essentially is — flamethrowers like the one used here are commercially available, completely legal in North Carolina, and frequently marketed as both “practical tools” and backyard spectacle accessories. But legality doesn’t cancel danger, and the clip makes that tension impossible to ignore.

A Million-Dollar Bond and a Misunderstanding

When viewers saw the video circulating alongside news of 10cellphones’ December 28, 2024 arrest — three felony weapon-of-mass-destruction charges, resisting arrest, and concealed carry — many assumed the flamethrower was the “WMD.”

But the charges actually trace back to a 2023 case involving a Glock auto-sear and firearm suppressors, items that North Carolina classifies as WMDs under state statute. Several outlets confirmed that connection at the time, but the flamethrower clip provided a visual shorthand the internet couldn’t resist.

A dramatic fire stunt is easier to process than the nuances of state-level weapons law. A flamethrower looks like a “WMD.” An auto-sear does not.

So the wrong story rose to the top — the video became the symbol for charges that originated somewhere else entirely.

How Flamethrowers Fit Into North Carolina Law — and Why This One Caused Debate Anyway

Federally, flamethrowers are not regulated as firearms. They’re not banned, not restricted, and not tracked. Only Maryland prohibits them outright; California requires a permit; most states treat them as niche incendiary tools. North Carolina? Fully legal to own, legal to buy, legal to operate — so long as it doesn’t endanger the public.

The device in the clip resembles a Pulsefire LRT, a $500 consumer model sold online and on platforms like Amazon. It shoots a 20–25-foot stream of flame and is popular among hobbyists, farmers clearing brush, and — increasingly — content creators looking for shock value.

But legality doesn’t protect against local charges for reckless burning, public endangerment, or disorderly conduct. In this case, no such charges appeared. The stunt likely survived legally because nothing ignited, no property was damaged, and no one filed a report.

Still, the optics of a flamethrower beside active pumps hit a nerve — even among users who defend firearm freedoms.

The Artist Behind the Stunt: Underground Acclaim, Recurring Controversy

10cellphones (real name Farran Harrison) has long walked the line between rising underground talent and recurring legal trouble. Charlotte’s rap scene has championed him as one of its rawest voices — an artist with regional momentum, SoundCloud traction, and a gritty aesthetic that matches the lore around him.

But police encounters have followed him for years:

• a 2023 domestic violence arrest,
• an incident involving threats toward officers,
• weapons recovered from an uptown apartment,
• and the ongoing auto-sear case that eventually led to his 2024 arrest and seven-figure bond.

The flamethrower clip doesn’t connect directly to those cases, but it reflects the persona that often dominates conversation around him — volatile, unpredictable, willing to turn danger into performance.

Social Media Reaction: “Legal or Not, This is Insane”

The reactions under the viral thread show a rare consensus across online factions: everyone agreed this was wild — but not everyone agreed it should be illegal.

Some users zeroed in on the obvious danger:

• “Attempted manslaughter vibes. Who fires a flamethrower at a gas station?”
• “Bro could’ve taken out the whole block.”

Others focused on correcting misinformation:

• “Y’all, the WMD charges aren’t for this. It’s from an auto-sear. Look it up.”
• “Those things are literally $500 on Amazon.”

There were users stunned at the timing, assuming the stunt forced police action — and users frustrated that unrelated charges overshadowed the flamethrower’s legality. A few treated it as pure meme material. A few veered into ugly territory with racist commentary, a toxic pattern that appears often when Black creators become the face of risky behavior.

But the most common reaction blended disbelief and inevitability — the sense that the video feels like the natural evolution of a social media era where spectacle trumps safety.

Danger, Misinterpretation, and the Speed of Virality

Part of what made the flamethrower moment explode online is how instantly recognizable the stakes are. Gas pumps. Open flame. A rapper performing a stunt as casually as someone lighting a cigarette. The tension is baked into the visuals.

The second ingredient is confusion. When an arrest headline and a viral stunt land at the same time, people connect dots that don’t belong together. The overlap created a ready-made drama: rapper fires flamethrower → rapper charged with WMD → rapper arrested. Even though the timeline doesn’t support that version, the video became the emotional shorthand for a more technical case.

And finally, there’s the culture factor: flame-throwing at a gas station looks like a parody of internet clout gone too far. Whether viewers were horrified, amused, or impressed, the clip delivered a jolt — and that’s enough to keep it circulating.

Conclusion: A Perfect Storm of Spectacle and Misunderstanding

The flamethrower clip isn’t the crime 10cellphones was arrested for — but it became the symbol anyway. In a media cycle obsessed with speed over accuracy, the wildest visual always wins. And few visuals compete with a rapper firing a commercial flamethrower beside gas pumps in the dead of night.

What the clip really captures is a cultural moment: one where legality, danger, and performative spectacle collide; where a stunt can overshadow the facts; and where audiences, primed for instant narrative, fill in the gaps before the truth catches up.

Between the fire, the confusion, and the controversy, the video doesn’t just show a reckless act — it shows how quickly a moment can turn into a myth.