Suspect wanted in Michigan murder sets himself on fire during arrest in Akron
A suspect with a warrant out for his arrest in a Michigan homicide set himself on fire Monday when Akron police officers pulled him over and approached his vehicle.
Officers received multiple alerts from Flock License Plate Readers about a blue Hyundai Tucson connected to a homicide in Wyandotte, Michigan. Officers spotted the vehicle traveling eastbound on Copley Road around 11 a.m. and conducted what police called a "high-risk traffic stop" in the parking lot of A&A Beauty Supply, located in the 1300 block of Copley Road.
Officers approached the vehicle at gunpoint and gave the driver, a 59-year-old male, verbal commands to turn off the car and drop a knife he had in his hand. While still seated inside the vehicle, the suspect then set himself on fire.
Police said he then jumped out of the car and was taken into custody.
Officers subsequently used a fire extinguisher to put out the small flames inside the car.
The suspect was taken by ambulance to Akron Children's Hospital's burn unit for treatment of injuries, which police say were non-life-threatening.
Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@gannett.com, or on Twitter @athompsonABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Michigan murder suspect found in Akron sets self on fire during arrest
