AKRON, Ohio – A man who was wanted for murder in Michigan reportedly set himself on fire while sitting in his car and surrounded by police in Ohio. The flames were extinguished when the suspect leaped from the vehicle and was taken into custody. He was transported to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries, authorities said.
Late Sunday evening into early Monday morning, officers with the Akron Police Department received several alerts from the Flock License Plate Reader regarding a blue Hyundai Tucson wanted in connection to a homicide in Wyandotte, Mich., according to Capt. Michael Miller of the Akron Police Department.
Finally, about 11 a.m. on Sunday, an officer located the Hyundai heading eastbound on Copley Road, the captain said, WOIO News reported.
As a result, police conducted a “high-risk traffic stop” in the parking lot of A&A Beauty Supply in the 1300 block of Copley Road, Miller noted.
During the high-risk takedown, officers instructed the the 59-year-old male driver to turn the engine off and drop a knife that he held in his hand.
“Moments later, while still seated inside the vehicle, the suspect set himself on fire,” Miller explained.
The suspect reportedly leaped from the car and was apprehended by officers, who also used a fire extinguisher to snuff out the small flames that remained burning inside the vehicle, Miller said.
EMS responded and treated the suspect for various burns to his body, and subsequently transported him to a local hospital for further treatment. Miller said the man’s injuries were non-life threatening.
A man wanted in a homicide investigation in Michigan set himself on fire while surrounded by police officers in Ohio. (Akron Police Department)
Police did not provide the name of the suspect.
WOIO News said they have video of the incident, but determined the footage is too graphic to share in its entirety.
The news outlet said they would share edited images during a newscast later on Monday.
