Man ignites himself while burning American flag outside RNC [View all]

CLEVELAND, Ohio — One of the protesters arrested Wednesday at a staged flag burning outside the Republican National Convention in downtown Cleveland caught himself and two other demonstrators on fire, leading to a violent altercation with police.

Police Chief Calvin Williams said during an evening news conference that 18 people were arrested near the corner of East 4th Street and Prospect Avenue – two on felony charges, including assaulting a police officer. The others face misdemeanor charges of failure to disperse.

The incident began when protesters blocked RNC delegates from accessing Quicken Loans Arena late Wednesday afternoon, and police issued an order to disperse, Williams said.

The demonstrators refused to leave the area, and one began to set fire to an American flag, the chief said. When the protester's pants caught fire, an officer stepped in to extinguish the flames. The protester tried to keep the burning flag away from the officer, and in doing so, lit two other demonstrators on fire, as well

Read more: http://www.cleveland.com/rnc-2016/index.ssf/2016/07/witness_describes_rnc_flag-bur.html#incart_maj-story-1