LANCASTER, Ohio, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Flames erupted from a homeless man when he was shocked by Lancaster, Ohio, police newly armed with stun guns, authorities say.
Lancaster Police Chief David Bailey said two officers had to put out a fire on Daniel Wood, 31, a homeless man who allegedly had inhaled a chemical from a spray can to get high before he was stunned with Tasers Monday night, The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch reported Wednesday. The department had just recently issued the stun guns to its officers.
"Clearly, this is not the way we'd hoped to get started," Bailey said. "But I'm glad the suspect is OK, and this gives us an opportunity to review how we will do things from this point."
Police say Wood had inhaled from a can of flammable keyboard cleaner, which he allegedly had in his possession when he fought with the officers as they tried to arrest him for darting into traffic and yelling threats at passers-by. The newspaper said fumes from the cleaner ignited when officers used their Tasers.
"There was no recognition on the part of these officers that this would be the result," Bailey told the Dispatch. "They didn't know the vapor was present and would flash. … It wasn't as if the suspect was doused in a chemical."
