Sheriff: Man throws Molotov cocktail at police, dies in fire

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, August 2, 2017

Associated Press

AUBURN — Investigators say a 41-year-old man was killed in a fire near Auburn that apparently began when he threw a Molotov cocktail at police.

The King County Sheriff’s Office says deputies were investigating a vandalism complaint Tuesday afternoon when the man threw the incendiary device, ran into a nearby building and barricaded himself.

Fire investigators say the flames from the Molotov cocktail spread to the building in which the man was barricaded, and that he was either unwilling or unable to escape. They say he likely died of smoke inhalation.

His identity has not been released.

One of the deputies suffered minor burns from the device. His uniform caught fire and he had to “stop, drop and roll” to put it out. He was treated and released from a hospital.