Andrew Guerrero, 57, was parked outside a food market in Austin around early Tuesday morning when he called 911 to alert police that he might kill himself by setting his car on fire.
When officers arrived at the scene they asked how he was doing and if he would come speak to them for a second. Guerrero is heard in the video responding with, "I think I'm going to set the car on fire."
An officer on the scene stated that he was holding a lighter in his hand.
The officer proceeded to run towards Guerrero to stop him, but he quickly jumped inside of his Toyota Solara and ignited what investigators believe was gasoline that he had waiting inside the vehicle.
The large explosion threw the officers away as Guerrero gets back inside of the blazing car. He exits the vehicle nearly immediately, however, screaming and writhing in agony as his body is engulfed in flames.
“We’re talking thousands of degrees inside there, you saw the force it created right there. For him to get back in the car like that, to do that, he was very dedicated on killing himself,” Austin Fire Department Capt. Andy Reardon told KXAN-TV.
The responding officers were treated and released with minor burns on their arms.
Guerrero was not officially in custody as of Wednesday, the Statesman reported, and remains in the burn unit at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio where he is being treated for serious burns. He is expected to survive.
The Austin Fire Department handling the investigation says he will likely be charged with first-degree felony arson, as the blast injured other individuals.
