Don't Try This At Home
Issaquah Police report a 15-year-old boy seriously burned Friday night was not the victim of an assault, as originally reported. Instead, officers believe he was injured when he and some friends tried to do a dangerous stunt, possibly inspired by a recent movie.
The Bellevue boy first told officers someone set his clothes on fire while he was walking home from a football game. Investigators worked Friday night and Saturday tracking down witnesses, leads and evidence.
Items recovered included a backpack, lighter fluid, t-shirt soaked in alcohol, a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a video camera and tape.
The burn victim and his friends finally told the story of how the boy wanted to pull off the stunt. Issaquah Police obtained a search warrant for a local home and recovered the videotape indicating that the burn victim willing arranged the stunt with friends and allowed himself to be set on fire. The stunt obviously went very wrong.
Then, fearing they'd get in trouble, the boys concocted the story of the assault. Needless to say, the police were none too happy having spent a great deal of time and effort on the case.
Late Saturday night, the burn victim himself admitted to police investigators he allowed himself to be set on fire.
Police now expect obstruction of justice charges to be filed against the boy along with the possibility of reckless burning and reckless endangerment.