Man attempts suicide by setting car on fire

fuad lawal

June 3, 2015 7:09 PM

Cops dragged a burning man to safety on Tuesday after he reportedly set his car on fire in an apparent suicide attempt.

The man had set himself on fire even after police tried to intervene. The vehicle exploded into a fireball at around 2am, a few seconds after the man climbed into the driver's seat while officers approached to try to stop him in Austin, Texas.

The explosion which took place at Stassney Food Mart flung the man from the vehicle but he then pulled himself back inside, shutting the car door before, screaming in agony, he flung himself on the ground and leapt around in pain. Several officers then got near him and pulled him to safety.

On dash-cam footage recorded by several police cars, the man was seen walking towards the vehicle and heard saying: 'I think I’m going to set the car on fire.'

The Austin Fire Department reported that the temperature inside the car would have reached a few thousand degrees.

The yet-to-be-identified man, along with two officers, are being treated at the hospital.

The man was taken to University Medical Center Brackenridge in serious condition and may be transferred to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, where there is a specialized burns unit.

According to the TV station, one officer said he saw the driver with a lighter in his hand and investigators believe there was fuel in the car.

Warning: Graphic Content

fuad lawal