Robber Dies Trying To Use Fire As Weapon

Police in Prince George's County are trying to identify a would-be robber who was killed in a bizarre crime.

Police say that a man hailed a cab at the Largo Metro Station Friday night and asked to be driven to Bowie Town Center. When they arrived, the suspect told the cabbie to give him his money. Then he hit the driver on the head, pulled out a flammable liquid and attempted to douse the driver with it. When he tried to light liquid, he wound up setting himself on fire and the car burst into flames.

Just as he felt the liquid igniting, the cab driver was able to get out of the car with only minor injuries. The would-be robber, however, wasn’t as lucky.

“The fire department arrived and was able to put the fire out. And once they did, they realized the deceased was still in the back seat,” Bowie Police Chief John Nesky told News4’s Darcy Spencer.

Cab drivers we spoke to at the Largo Metro Station say there is always danger when picking up Metro riders.

“Sometimes they just come and get in the cab without knowing their intentions. That’s why we need the presence of police here all the time,” one driver told Spencer.

Fire investigators still don’t know what the flammable liquid was.

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