In a shocking encounter, police officers responded to a disturbance where a suspect named David was seen setting fires inside a retail store using lighter fluid and fuel additives. When approached, David sprayed officers with flammable liquid, hitting one in the eyes, causing severe irritation. Officers couldn't use tasers for fear of igniting the fuel. The suspect attempted to flee, but was ultimately struck by a squad car and subdued. Officers recovered lighter fluid, a lighter, and a red heat bottle as evidence. David was uncooperative, claiming he hadn't received his medication. Officers flushed out the affected officer's eyes and documented evidence of fluid on patrol vehicles. David was arrested and charged with aggravated arson, aggravated battery, assault on a peace officer, and criminal damage to property. His bond was set at $100,000, and he could face 6 to 30 years in prison if convicted. He remains innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law. >> Oh, hey. 601, can we roll fire? Hey, hey, stop. Stop. >> You got a fire extinguisher? >> Yeah. >> He's setting fire to stuff. >> Stop. Stop. >> Stop. >> I asked her nicely. >> I don't care. Stop. >> Yeah. Bring it here. Affirmative. >> Six of one. I got the fire. >> I would roll him. >> Where'd he go? >> This way. HEY, STOP. STOP. GET ON THE GROUND. Get on the ground. >> Lighter coolant on me. >> GET ON THE GROUND. GET ON the ground. >> Get on THE GROUND. >> GET ON THE GROUND. >> HEY, we're back behind. >> No, you ain't going nowhere. Ah, nowhere. >> Yeah. >> He's throwing He threw it on me. >> GET ON THE GROUND. >> GET ON the ground. >> GET ON THE GROUND. >> HEY, don't tase him cuz you'll park it up. >> You guys back up. Just back up. Back up. Hey, >> down on the ground, sir. Down on the ground. >> Hey, do not tase him cuz you'll spark it up. >> He's lighting up. >> That out of here. >> Is he conscious? >> Yeah, he's conscious. >> Shark is [ __ ] Ah, >> you okay? >> Yeah, I need my eyes flushed. >> I don't have anything else. >> I asked for my medicine, too. >> Keep your head down. >> Keep your head down. Just keep your head down. Relax. >> All right. >> I don't think that we have anything for eyewash. >> Let me get you some water. >> There's nothing else on me. See all I ask your ass. >> I got to fix it. >> Oh, that's cold. >> They threw that right in my eye. >> You guys hear me? >> We're good here. Talk. Get Get the story inside. >> What do you need? Go back there. Make sure they're okay. >> They're good. >> In cuffs. >> Okay. >> Well, I know. I put them in cuffs. >> He threw lighter fluid or heat like that uh additive fuel additive into my face. >> Uh yeah. So, I came around here. I chased him right over there on that side of the building. He turns around and goes, >> "I'm going to eat that bottle right there. That's going to be some evidence." >> Okay. >> Well, that stuff right there is going to be evidence also. Yes, he's in cuffs. >> No, I'm all right. It's lighter fluid on the hood of my car. >> Yeah, lighter fluid on ladder at the hood of my car. And he spotted lighter fluid at Jay Collins and uh Garcia. >> An ambulance. >> I've been rinsing my eyes out. >> You guys name the saline solution. >> Do you guys have like the saline the eyewash solution? >> You send one here. He has light fluid in his eyes. >> Yeah. Where was this guy in the phantom? I got here and he was over in the automotive section and he set the place on fire. So I had her grab me the fire signature. I put it out. When I turned around, he was gone. He tried to vol cocktail squirrels and squad. So squirrels hit him. >> Okay. >> We couldn't tase him cuz we catch fire. He covered it. >> You mentioned about him getting hit. >> It was me. >> It was you. >> It was me. >> Here. Right. Right here. >> Right here. That's all. >> You okay? >> I'm all right. >> Okay. Who sub >> been sick at all lately? David, >> who subdued him after? >> Me and Garcia. >> Me, me, Garcia, and Jay Collins were all here. >> You know what? We're not giving you a night. So, >> yeah, we did. >> See, I've been asked one of these matters for three days, sir. >> Well, you're not asking the right people. >> What do we got? Our lighter flu here for evidence. >> Lighter flu for evidence. That's all his property right there. Uh That's his property right there. There should be a lighter. There should be a lighter somewhere over also. >> That's what he was using. Yeah. >> Did he get lighter fluid on your car? >> He did. It was on the windshield, too. >> Hey, let's make sure we get good pictures of the lighter fluid on the car. >> Like all this dried up stuff right here. >> All this is all that he was spewing it at the car. So, if we can try and get >> Yes. >> Okay. >> Doing it right. You good? >> Yeah, that's fine. You can do it. >> Get in both your eyes. This one. >> Follow my finger. >> It was burning like crazy earlier, but >> Yeah, that heat one on the corner. >> Who Who is this guy? >> I don't know. But if there weren't three foot planes over there. I >> He waited till I guess he had it lit. Once he had it lit, he put the car in drive or whatever it was and >> took him down. >> Took him down. >> So he nudged him down >> pretty much. >> This is staying. This stuff, my understanding is this is what was on him that got taken off him. >> That bottle over here was also associated with him. However, when I got here, it was over here. Garcia kicked it. Understandable. >> I I get it. So, this this was moved since my arrival. Sproul says that there should be a lighter around here that he had. I I haven't seen a lighter yet. >> Got it. >> Right here. >> Okay. All right. Then, uh, as far as I know, that's all the pieces that we would have been looking for. >> You got the red bottle of heat, right? >> We have the red bottle of heat. >> You had something else with it >> over here. We had two little bottles of >> There's a lighter that I threw. >> We found We found the lighter. >> Okay. Um, we found the lighter, the knife, and we we found, as far as I could tell, everything involved, unless there's more. Where was he spraying it at you? Was that over here? >> I was over here. >> That's where he was spraying it at you? >> Yeah. Well, so I come around the corner. He's about I'd say probably like right here. >> Okay. >> He just turns around and goes and I, you know, backed up. >> So, you came around this corner to go this way. He's over here. >> He's walking this way already. >> He sprays it. Okay. He left the front door as I was putting out the fire with the fire extinguisher. >> Okay. >> And then he turns on right here. Whatever. Gets it in my eye as >> he turns and sprays it this way at you. >> Yeah. >> Okay. After you came the corner. >> Got it. All right. >> You good, man? >> Yeah. >> But so it all would have been here then. >> Uh because I he kept on walking. So I was kind of trying to stay away from him a little bit. >> Sure. >> But he kept on coming this way. This stuff is going to evaporate. >> Well, yes. I I I figure it probably would. I'm just trying to find >> I would have to go back and look at my camera >> exactly where, but I mean, he was throwing it on us on me. He He got me multiple times from the heat bottle. >> Yeah, he got me multiplied. And I was standing about right here. He grabbed that paint container. I didn't know what the it was, so I kind of backed up a little bit and he threw it and it bounced and hit me in the leg. Okay. And it ended up over there. >> All right. Now, of course, police are trained to expect many things when they pull up to a scene. And going from police officer to firefighter is rare, but it does happen now from the moment that this officer arrives on scene. He's met by a male who has lighter flu in his hand. It appears that this male started a fire in the aisle of the store. And in my opinion, it seems that there's possibly something mentally wrong with the male because when the officer asks the clerk for a fire extinguisher, the male fire starter answers yes. And as the officer tells him to stop, he looks in the direction of the fire like he was actually proud of what he did. So in this short amount of time, we have a fire, a pedestrian investigation who was in horror on this at this point. And the officer actually had to run out the store to find him. And this was absolutely crazy because as the officer catches him on the side of the store, the Mel then throws an unidentified liquid on the officer, which we found out was the lighter fluid. And I got to be honest, just watching that made my heart drop. So, the officer wisely retreats because this man did have a lighter, but thankfully he didn't use it on the officer. And when the officer re-engages with the male and orders him to the ground, the male throws more light of fluid on the officer and he flat out refuses to listen to police commands. Now, thankfully, backup does arrive and the officers attempt to get closer to the mail. But keep in mind, they cannot tase him because they can ignite the mail and that would be another problem. I can honestly say that in all my years as a cop and I've seen some crazy things, but I've never seen someone throw L fluid on an officer or police car and then try to set it on fire. So, at this point, we know that this male is not going to go quietly. So, at this point, the officers have no choice. They have to make a decision to end the threat. So, one officer decides to bump the suspect with their vehicle because, think about it, they can't tase them for obvious reasons, and they can't use the firearms because that's deadly force. So they use the minimal amount of force necessary to stop the threat, which in my opinion was absolutely warranted. And after the male is down, of course, the officers make their move and handcuff them. But the officer's eyes had to be flushed because he got a face full of that lighter fluid. And of course, the suspect does get transported to the hospital for evaluation. The fire department responds, but thankfully the officers acted quickly before the situation became worse. Now, police officers do receive a few hours of training and firefighting during their academy days, but that's often the last time the concerns are raised until an officer gets hurt, unfortunately. But lastly, those officers use intelligence and the appropriate amount of force dealing with this dangerous call. And many times, you may hear that cops never want to be firemen, and firemen never want to be cops. But you just never know when those rules just might have to be reversed. David was arrested for aggravated arson, aggravated battery, aggravated assault of a peace officer, and criminal damage to property. His bail was set at $100,000. David could potentially face 6 to 30 years in prison. He is innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.