[codebreaker]

Move along, nothing to see here-just a crazy loon with chemicals strapped to his chest, and no ID.

[Stevieboy]

Someone has seriously got to be kidding...

Jeepers kreepers.

[RightOnline]

Doncha just hate it when someone tries to cut in line to see Santa? The things they'll try................

[VA Advogado]

LOL those damn fraternity stunts!

[TheOtherOne]

Man shouting `freedom' sets himself afire in suburban Illinois mall; four others also hurt

13:42 ET
Associated Press Newswires
Copyright 2001. The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

CHERRY VALLEY, Ill. (AP) - A man shouting "freedom and liberty for all" set himself on fire in a suburban shopping mall Friday and hurled flaming objects at shoppers before he was subdued and taken to a hospital, officials and witnesses said.

Four other people also were injured.

Witnesses said the man, in his late 20s or early 30s, was yelling about freedom as he leaned from a mezzanine railing and threw burning packages onto the CherryVale Mall's center court. The fire was just outside the second-floor entrance to a department store in this Rockford suburb.

Two shoppers subdued him and extinguished the fire that burned him. Security guards put out the burning packages.

Mall employee Jeremy Wolf said the man appeared to have containers of cleaning chemicals strapped to his chest. He had stretched his leg over the railing as if to jump down to the center court, where hundreds of shoppers were waiting in line, Wolf said.

"I could literally see his face on fire," Wolf said.

The man, who was not carrying any identification, was taken to Rockford's OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center and was to be transferred to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Saint Anthony spokesman Gregory Alford said. He had no information on the man's condition; earlier, a dispatch supervisor said the man's burns did not appear to be life-threatening.

Two men who grabbed the man were treated for burns on their hands, and a woman was treated for smoke inhalation, Alford said. A 67-year-old woman remained at the hospital with difficulty breathing but was expected to be released.

Cherry Valley police were at the scene and unavailable for comment immediately Friday.

The mall closed its center court area after the incident. Managers were unavailable to say when it would reopen.

[Charles Henrickson]

The Rockford Files.

[Tai_Chung]

Store publicity stunt gone awry?

[Maceman]

This guy must have been a terrorist school drop-out.

[freeperfromnj]

Yesterday I recall seeing a news trailer at the bottom of one of the cable news channels advising anyone who notices the unusual purchase of cleaning chemicals to report it to the authorities. The news flas specifically mentioned "cleaning" chemicals

[RANGERAIRBORNE]

Maybe incidents like this would be much less frequent if we hadn't (thanks to the Democrats) released tens of thousands of dangerous crazies onto the streets, and then provided virtually NO mandatory follow-up for them.

"OK, Billy- you are free to leave now- but be real sure to take these pills every day, right?"

[duckman]

A story like this really, burns me up. hehe

[Viet Vet in Augusta GA]

...later identified as Albert W. Gore, Jr., who claimed to have been elected President of the United States last year, and was immediately sedated...

[Z-28]

Mandatory metal detectors, bomb-sniffing dogs, and federal security screeners (unionized) at all shopping malls, now!

And stun-guns to all greeters at Wal-mart.

[lowbridge]

Jeremy Wolf said the man appeared to have containers of cleaning chemicals strapped to his chest. He has stretched his leg over the railing as if to jump down to the center court, where hundereds of shoppers were waiting in line. "I could literally see his face on fire," Wolf said."

See? This is what happens to terrorist school drop outs. I'm probably giving this loon too much credit, he must've flunked out. Osama obviously gave this guy an F before showing him the cave exit.

The man who was not carrying any identification

Damn! If only he was carrying some sort of federally mandated ID card, this never would have happened! See why we need Federal ID cards now?

was taken to Rcokford's (IL.)OSF St. Anthony's medical center (from Cherryvale Mall) and was to be transferred to Loyola University Medical Center.

What? They didn't let him burn?

[freeperfromnj]

Am I missing something here? Why don't I find this amusing? I can't remember anyone ever pulling a crazy stunt like this at a Mall on the busiest shopping day of the year.

[concerned about politics]

Liberal. They all chose pro-death."

[spanky_mcfarland]

Human yule log tribute perhaps?

[CharlieDarwin]

Guess I'll have to hand out another of my awards.

[LeeMcCoy]

I won't be a bit surprised if we see more strange behavior from those with severe psychological disorders. 911 coupled with the holiday season may really "do a number" on these folks.

BTW, Loyola has an excellent burn center.

[Recovering_Democrat]

Grade-A choice IDIOT.

[cgbg]

I know Harry Browne had a tough day yesterday, but this is no way to resolve his problems... ;-)