By Mark Price
The Charlotte Observer
MELBOURNE, Australia — An attempted arson has become the butt of jokes on social media after video posted by police showed one suspect left the crime scene with pants ablaze.
It happened around 2:40 a.m. on Christmas at a fast-food restaurant in Melbourne, Australia, and police shared the video as part of an ongoing attempt to identify the three suspects.
“It is believed two people arrived at the premises in (a) white Toyota Tarago before pouring a flammable liquid over the front of the store,” Victoria Police said in a Jan. 8 Facebook post.
“After setting the liquid alight, one of the offenders also succeeded in setting their pants on fire, forcing them to strip their burning garments as they fled. The Tarago (was) believed to have been driven by a third offender.”
The video shows the suspect’s pants caught fire almost instantly, leaving him or her looking like a fireball running down the sidewalk. The person is then seen stripping off the burning pants.
The video had more than 700,000 views as of Jan. 10, and 6,200 reactions and comments.
Most were jokes at the suspect’s expense, with some noting “it is more like a comedy movie” than a crime. Several suggested the discarded pants be tested for DNA.
“Imagine sitting in the emergency room with 3rd degree burns and this comes on the TV,” Steve Labinas wrote on the police department’s Facebook page.
“Could have been too painful for him to sit judging by the footage! Ouch,” Diane Joy said.
“I know you can be charged for having firearms, but can they charge you for firelegs?” Will Ward posted.
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