Man pretends to pour gasoline on self in public pranks

DETROIT (WJBK) - A man goes to crowded places and pretends that he's going to set himself on fire. His antics -- set off panic.

A Target store and Little Caesars were the setting for the man's stunts, sending people running for the doors.

There were frantic moments inside Target in Warren after a man poured what appears to be gasoline over his body and shoppers inside rush to get away from him.

"There was a guy begging for life," said one witness. "I thought this was it. I thought I was going to die."

This woman who did not want to be identified, was at Target Monday evening and later learned this so-called suicide attempt  was a prank. The liquid in the gasoline container was water.

"This is not a joke," she said. "Suicide and putting other people's lives in danger is not a joke."

A video of the Target stunt is posted on Detroit comedian Eastside Ivo's Facebook page. So is another escapade at Little Caesars. 

The camera was rolling as one man who thought the hoax was real, pulled out a gun.

FOX 2 caught up with Eastside Ivo, who would not say if he was the person in either of those videos.

"All I know is this, the videos that were circulating won't be posted on my page anymore," he said. "Pranks like that will not be done. Like I said, nobody got hurt."

A spokesperson from Target released a statement on the incident:

"At Target, we want each of our guests to have a safe and welcoming experience whenever they shop at our stores. We are aware of this incident and have no tolerance for this type of behavior. Last night law enforcement responded to the store and declined further investigation. We have also informed our teams."