MIDWEST CITY, OK - A metro man is in critical condition after setting himself on fire in the parking lot of a Midwest City 7-11 Convenience Store.
"He was totally engulfed in flames. You couldn't make anything out. It was just one big flame," witness Michael Armstrong said. "It was pretty wild."
It was a big flame onlookers soon realized was a human. Police say the 46 year old man had a relationship with one of the female clerks inside the store.
"He called them on his cell phone and said look out in the parking lot. At that time he took a two and half gallon can of gasoline and poured it over his head and ignited himself," Midwest City Police Chief Brandon Clabes said.
Witnesses say he then ran from the parking lot to nearby grass and collapsed on the ground. Two clerks quickly ran outside with fire extinguishers and put out the flames.
"I looked over, and I saw a bunch of flames, and I thought a car was on fire," Armstrong said. "I saw a man take off running out of the flames and fell in the grass."
The man suffered third degree burns on more than fifty percent of his body.
"I saw them load him into an ambulance, but you couldn't really see any details of it, because it looked like he was just charred," Armstrong said.
It's an unusual incident police are trying to piece together.
"It's one of the most bizarre cases that we've worked in a long time in Midwest City.Obviously there's an emotional situation invloved, and of course it's a horrible way to inflict pain on yourself, especially by burning," Clabes said. "We hope for the best for this victim, but it's critical and could possibly cause his death."
The man was airlifted to a metro hospital where he remained in critical condition as of Saturday night.
"He was totally engulfed in flames. You couldn't make anything out. It was just one big flame," witness Michael Armstrong said. "It was pretty wild."
It was a big flame onlookers soon realized was a human. Police say the 46 year old man had a relationship with one of the female clerks inside the store.
"He called them on his cell phone and said look out in the parking lot. At that time he took a two and half gallon can of gasoline and poured it over his head and ignited himself," Midwest City Police Chief Brandon Clabes said.
Witnesses say he then ran from the parking lot to nearby grass and collapsed on the ground. Two clerks quickly ran outside with fire extinguishers and put out the flames.
"I looked over, and I saw a bunch of flames, and I thought a car was on fire," Armstrong said. "I saw a man take off running out of the flames and fell in the grass."
The man suffered third degree burns on more than fifty percent of his body.
"I saw them load him into an ambulance, but you couldn't really see any details of it, because it looked like he was just charred," Armstrong said.
It's an unusual incident police are trying to piece together.
"It's one of the most bizarre cases that we've worked in a long time in Midwest City.Obviously there's an emotional situation invloved, and of course it's a horrible way to inflict pain on yourself, especially by burning," Clabes said. "We hope for the best for this victim, but it's critical and could possibly cause his death."
The man was airlifted to a metro hospital where he remained in critical condition as of Saturday night.
