An unsettling video appearing to show a homeless man in Vancouver lighting his hair on fire at the encouragement of a group of young men is stirring outrage.
The 30-second long video titled “Crackhead lights hair on fire” was posted to the website Live Leak on Monday and is alleged to have happened on Sunday.
It appears to show a group of young men encouraging another man to set his hair on fire, which he does, before someone tells him to put it out.
The video’s description alleges someone gave the man a lighter “to trim his sideburns,” but the entire back of his head catches fire.
“Yeah, yeah, burn it. Yeah, get it good,” a voice can be heard saying off-camera.
“All of it,” another voice chimes in.
The man is finally convinced to put out his flaming hair by a bystander who hands him a cigarette in exchange.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the video had received more than 35,000 views.
Vancouver police called the video “disturbing,” but said it’s difficult to determine whether or not it constitutes assault because nobody appears to be forcing the man to light his hair on fire.
Const. Brian Montague said the video has been forwarded to investigators to determine whether it warrants a criminal probe.
A similar video surfaced in February of a man allegedly paying a homeless person $50 for permission to kick him in the groin.
