Chicago Officers Injured When Man Sets Himself On Fire [Breaking]
Two police officers in Chicago were injured this evening when a man, who had attended a festival near 18th Street and Ashland, chose to set a building on fire. A report from the Chicago Tribune has confirmed that the man not only set the building on fire, but himself as well.
Hint to the Chicago Tribune (which constantly screws up neigborhoods): 18th and Ashland is PILSEN. No, really. https://t.co/GUDeDPFZKT
— Michael Benami Doyle (@chicagocarless) May 30, 2016
Reports confirm that the man was dressed in only his underwear and an American Flag and that he carried a can of gasoline. According to an eye witness, the man threw a rock into the Metro PC store and then set the store on fire before running away. Apparently the underwear-clad man set himself on fire during the process.
Leticia Sandoval, a 34-year-old mother who was working at Mole de Mayo during the festival, was checking on her children when she saw smoke. Sandoval was told to call 911.
Officers made efforts to prevent festival goers from passing the corner of 18th and Laflin. Some people managed to dodge the police originally, but were later stopped by a second officer. Two of the officers on scene were injured and transported to Stroger Hospital.
Man sets himself on fire at Pilsen food festival: A man ignited himself on fire Sunday night in the middle of… https://t.co/ij5QNAG1LS
— Welcome! Chicago (@WelcomeCHI) May 30, 2016
The man who set himself on fire has been hospitalized and is currently undergoing treatment.
No additional information is currently available. Stay tuned to Inquisitr for updates as more information on this story becomes available.
Update:
The man who set himself on fire at the Pilsen Mole de Mayo Festival had wrapped himself in an American flag and was injured on 18th Street when he set fire to his own body. The incident took place at around 7:30 p.m. and the flames spread to the Metro PCS store nearby.
The true accounts of the incident differ from original reports. It seems the man never actually intended to set himself on fire, nor did he intend to set the Metro PCS on fire. The store fire appears to have been a secondary component of currently unclear circumstances.
The man was said to have been wearing only his underwear and an American flag when the fire was set. According to DNA Info, the 33-year-old male has did survive the incident and at this point, police have not reported on the man’s motives.
It remains unclear what the man was targeting or why the fires were set in the first place. The fire at the store was extinguished and one person was transported to a local hospital after sustaining a cut in connection to the incident.
The purportedly accidental-arsonist was transported to Stronger Hospital and is said to be in good condition. The two injured police officers were also transported to Stroger Hospital and were treated for non-life threatening injuries.
The Mole de Mayo festival was cut short by about 30 minutes on Sunday. No further information is available at this time.
Man sets himself on fire at Chicago street festival, injuring two police officers https://t.co/IuRhrqoybX pic.twitter.com/9qBQHPhgce
— IBTimes UK (@IBTimesUK) May 30, 2016
Stay tuned to Inquisitr as we continue to report the updates of this developing story. If you have information pertaining to the motives for the arson, we want to hear from you.
