Police say a man threw a Molotov cocktail at a man in a wheelchair during a shocking daytime attack in Oklahoma City.

A man in a wheelchair was attacked with a Molotov cocktail in broad daylight near Oklahoma City police headquarters, leaving him briefly surrounded by flames before officers and bystanders rushed in to save him.

Inside Edition Digital reporter Mara Montalbano said surveillance footage captured the victim crossing an intersection in his wheelchair as another man walked nearby, appeared to pass him, then suddenly turned around and approached.

Moments later, police say the suspect lit an incendiary device and threw it toward the wheelchair, causing flames to spread across the road.

The suspect was identified by authorities as 38-year-old Alexander Emery, who was detained at the scene.

Suspect Appears to Turn Back Toward the Victim

Montalbano reported that the footage initially showed the two men moving in different directions near the intersection.

The victim crossed the street in his wheelchair while the suspect walked past and continued across another section of the road.

After reaching the other side, however, the suspect appeared to turn around and head directly toward the man in the wheelchair.

That change in direction makes the video especially disturbing because the encounter did not appear to begin with a visible argument or confrontation. The victim was simply moving through the intersection when the other man reportedly chose to approach him.

Police have not publicly explained a motive for the attack.

Flames Erupt in the Street

According to Montalbano, the suspect could then be seen lighting the Molotov cocktail before throwing it at the wheelchair.

Flames broke out immediately on the pavement, creating a dangerous scene near passing traffic and pedestrians.

The victim was briefly surrounded by fire, but nearby people reacted almost at once.

The use of an incendiary device in a public street could easily have caused far more serious injuries, especially because the victim had limited mobility and could not simply run from the flames.

That detail makes the response from witnesses even more important. Without immediate help, a few additional seconds could have changed the outcome completely.

Officers and Bystanders Rush In

Montalbano said passing police officers and witnesses moved quickly to stop the attack and help the victim.

One officer detained Emery while a passerby and other responders focused on pulling the man in the wheelchair away from the fire.

The attack happened close to Oklahoma City police headquarters, which meant officers were nearby when the flames erupted.

Authorities credited both first responders and members of the public with preventing the incident from becoming more serious.

The victim suffered only minor injuries despite the shocking nature of the attack, according to officials. He received medical attention and is expected to recover.

It is remarkable that the injuries were not worse. Fire spreads unpredictably, and a person seated in a wheelchair faces added difficulty escaping clothing, equipment, or pavement that has caught fire.

Emery Arrested at the Scene

Police detained Emery within moments of the attack.

Authorities say he faces serious felony allegations connected to the incident, including assault with intent to kill and assault and battery with a deadly weapon.

Those charges remain allegations, and Emery will have the opportunity to respond through the court process.

Investigators have not released a clear reason for why the man in the wheelchair was targeted.

Reports surrounding the case indicate that the victim may have been chosen at random, but Montalbano’s report focused primarily on the surveillance footage, the attack itself, and the rapid response that followed.

The absence of a known motive adds another unsettling layer to the case. A sudden attack by a stranger is difficult to predict, particularly when the victim appears to have done nothing to provoke contact.

Community Response Prevented a Worse Outcome

Inside Edition’s report placed strong emphasis on the people who stepped in rather than remaining at a distance.

A passerby helped the victim while officers secured the suspect, allowing emergency help to focus on the fire and injuries without the threat continuing.

Officials said the combined response stopped the situation from escalating further.

That kind of immediate action is often the difference between a frightening incident and a fatal one. The people nearby did not have time to plan, yet they recognized the danger and acted within seconds.

The scene also shows the value of having several people respond in different ways. One person could focus on the suspect, another on the victim, while others helped move him away from the flames.

A Broad-Daylight Attack Near Police Headquarters

The location and timing of the incident made it especially shocking.

The attack happened during the morning, in full view of surveillance cameras, near law enforcement offices, and close enough to passing traffic for witnesses to stop and help.

Despite all of that visibility, police say the suspect still approached the victim and threw the lit device.

Montalbano described the incident as a scary attack on the streets of Oklahoma City, but the footage also captured an unusually fast rescue.

The victim survived with minor injuries, the suspect was arrested almost immediately, and the fire did not spread beyond the roadway.

Even so, the case remains deeply troubling because it involved a vulnerable person being confronted without warning and attacked with a weapon capable of causing severe burns or death.

The most reassuring part of the story is not that the attack was harmless; it clearly was not. It is that nearby officers and strangers reacted quickly enough to keep a horrifying act from becoming an even greater tragedy.