STREAM EXCLUSIVE ORIGINALS

Man Who Drove Car Into Ex's Apartment Is Identified as His Friends Reveal Their Shock

"I’ve known Carl Philibert for like 7 years, I’ve never seen him snap."

Friends of the Florida man who drove a car full of propane tanks into his ex-girlfriend’s apartment have spoken out. 31-year-old Carl Philibert of Fort Pierce died as a result of the fiery crash on Tuesday and friends believe his deadly action was out of the ordinary.

A friend of Philibert spoke to WPTV and suggested he never believed Philibert to be a violent man.

“I still can not believe that,” Steph Dumornay told WPTV. “I’ve known Carl for like seven years. I’ve never seen him snap.”

Dumornay described Philibert, an immigrant from Haiti, as a reliable, trustworthy friend who was straight-laced.

“He barely drank. He doesn’t smoke,” Dumornay continued.

He says he met the woman Philibert was in a relationship with last year and never suspected there was turmoil.

“He never told me something was going on,” Dumornay said.

However, police said Philibert had a history of domestic violence with the unidentified woman he targeted in the crash. 

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A Fort Pierce man turned his car into a fireball on wheels when he loaded it with four propane tanks and drove it into the apartment building of his ex-girlfriend in West Palm Beach, Florida. 

According to police 31-year-old Carl Philibert killed himself and displaced 18 residents on Tuesday, reported WPTV.

Police say Philibert, an immigrant from Haiti who had been staying at hotels in the Fort Pierce area, was targeting his unidentified ex-girlfriend, who lived in apartment B of a ground floor unit, according to TC Palm.

Philibert and the woman in apartment B reportedly got into an argument Tuesday morning when he showed up to the complex and saw something he was not happy with inside her unit. Hours later, he returned with a car full of propane and a vengeful mission.

“He intended to do damage. He raced his car into this apartment where five people were, intending to kill them, blow the place up or create some kind of havoc,” Fort Pierce police spokesman Ed Cunningham told WPTV. 

Cunningham also said the woman's 3-year-old son was also inside. All five people in the apartment were able to escape out a back door.

Police say Philbert had a history of domestic trouble with the woman he targeted Tuesday. He had been living in a Fort Pierce motel and working at a local grocery store, according to police.

Witness Kathy Toledo lives in a home next to the apartment complex. She started recording cellphone video after the crash and also recorded the explosion that occurred moments later.

Her husband, Pablo Toledo, helped an elderly woman get out of her apartment before the fire became too dangerous.

"I just ran up there and grabbed her. There was a bunch of smoke and fire but I just ran up there, grabbed her and put her over by the grass. Then I tried to help out with the car, but by that time, no fire extinguisher was getting it out," Toledo told WPTV.

The Red Cross has been informed that thirteen adults and five children are in need of assistance. All eight units in the complex sustained damage and the building was cordoned off with police tape.

Fire rescue, Fort Pierce Police Department and the State Fire Marshal Office are investigating the situation. 

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