Man Tried To Set Himself On Fire In Sheriff's Office Patrol Car

CARTERSVILLE, GA -- A man declaring he will not go to jail alive attempted to set himself on fire late Friday evening in Bartow County. According to an incident report released by the sheriff's office, a deputy was dispatched around 10:26 p.m. Aug. 18. to a call at 4398 Joe Frank Harris Parkway in Cartersville for a warrant being served on Abram Harris Colston on felony terroristic threats.

According to the report, the deputy approached Colston and explained to the male subject he had an outstanding warrant for his arrest. Colston was searched, placed under arrest and secured in the backseat of the deputy's patrol car.

"While en route to the jail, Abram stated several times that he wasn't going to jail alive, and that if he arrived at that jail, it would be a 'suicide by cop'," the report sates (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app).

As he continued to drive southbound on U.S. 41, the deputy said he heard Colston say "there you go." He turned and noticed Colston "had set his pants and shirt on fire with a lighter in his right hand."

"I later discovered Abram had placed the lighter in his genital region prior to being placed under arrest when he saw me," he added.

The deputy advised dispatchers of the fire, opened the back passenger door and put out the fire using his hands. However, Colston continued to use the lighter and set his pants on fire again, according to the report. The deputy put out the fire and took the lighter from Colston's grip.

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Colston allegedly tried to get out of the police car several times, but was secured and taken to the Bartow County Jail. The county-issued white 2014 Dodge Charger was not damaged, and Colston didn't appear to have any obvious injuries on his body related to the fire. However, the report notes he had burn marks on his clothing.

Along with the felony warrant, the 37-year-old Cartersville resident was also booked into the Bartow County Jail on reckless conduct charges related to the fire. He remains held without bail.

Image via Bartow County Sheriff's Office