Wichita man pours gas on self, threatens to burn himself and home during standoff

A 22-year-old Wichita man remained jailed Wednesday after a standoff the day before with law enforcement where he poured gas on himself and threatened to light himself and his house on fire, according to police.

Police fired two less-lethal rounds during the incident.

“When Officers arrived, the suspect poured a gallon of gasoline on himself as he was standing in the front room of his house,” Wichita police spokesperson Juan Rebolledo said in an email. “The suspect threatened to light himself and the house on fire and retreated into the house.”

The suspect was alone at his house when police arrived. During the standoff, “two non-lethal rounds were fired but they were unsuccessful,” Rebolledo said. He was unsure if the rounds hit the man or not.

A frequently used non-lethal, often called less-lethal, round police use are bean bag rounds. It is not clear what was used in this particular case.

The suspect, who was in talks with negotiators, walked out of the house and surrendered at 2:32 p.m. Tuesday. The call started at 12:17 p.m. in the 3800 block of East Edgemont, near Central.

A 911 caller said his “son has been threatening ... to hurt him and to burn down the house,” according to Sedgwick County Emergency Communications 911 scanner traffic.

The man remained in jail on suspicion of arson, criminal threat, criminal damage to property and interference with law enforcement.