Ishikawa Police arrested a 51-year-old man after he poured flammable liquid on two police officers, who went to arrest him on another charge, and set them on fire on Wednesday.

One of the officers suffered severe burns on his face and is hospitalized in intensive care. The other suffered burns on his arms.

According to Police, the two officers knocked on the door of the second floor apartment of Shu Hirayoshi Wednesday afternoon to arrest him on suspicion of an assault resulting in an injury. When the officers knocked on his door, Hirayoshi did not answer.

While at the door they smelled gasoline from the apartment, and decided to try to get in through a balcony. They set a ladder and tried to climb in when Hirayoshi appeared on the balcony with a kitchen knife in one hand and a bottle in another.. He then poured liquid that smelled like gasoline from the bottle over the two officers and set them on fire. He had also set his apartment on fire. The two officers fell to the ground.

Other officers who had arrived at the scene broke into the apartment through the door and overpowered Hirayoshi. He was arrested on the spot on suspicion of arson and obstruction of police officers performing their duties

Four square meters of the apartment was burned but the fire was extinguished in a few minutes.

According to Ishikawa Police, Hirayoshi was wanted on suspicion of an assault on a female acquaintance on May 11th that had injured the woman’s arm.

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