TSR Updatez: We are praying for the family who will now mourn the man who set himself on fire in front of the White House on Wednesday. Authorities have confirmed that he passed away due to the injuries he sustained from the flame.
Authorities released a statement identifying the man as 33-year-old Arnav Gupta. Police say his family reported him missing from Bethesda, MD on Wednesday morning.
As we previously reported, it is still unclear Gupta had a motive for setting himself ablaze, but his family has expressed they were concerned for his “physical and emotional welfare”.
When authorities arrived on the scene, they believed he could have had some some sot of protective suit because he was not collapsing under the flames. Instead, the video shows Gupta roaming slowly and aimlessly across the park near the White House.
D.C, law enforcement has now come up with an expanation for Gupta’s strange behavior. Despite their efforts to have Gupta drop and roll, he continued to walk around, and police believe he was under the influence of drugs. Responding officers reportedly saw signs Gupta was hallucinating, and was high on K2.
K2 is a dangerous, synthetic THC, almost entirely made up of chemicals. The drug has been banned in the U.S., as there have been widespread incidents of people becoming violent, delusional, or passing away under its influence.
According to dispatch audio obtained by TMZ, the man was transported to the hospital with life threatening injuries. He reportedly suffered burns on 85% of his body. He passed away Wednesday night in the hospital.
