Shouting 'freedom,' man sets himself ablaze at mall

CHERRY VALLEY, Illinois (CNN) -- A 27-year-old man shouting "freedom" doused himself with gasoline at a crowded suburban Illinois mall Friday and set himself ablaze, authorities said.

Richard Lewis, a Rockford, Illinois, native, was in critical condition at Loyola University Medical Center after suffering burns over 40 percent of his body, said Sgt. Craig Wilt of the Cherry Valley Police Department.

Two shoppers suffered second-degree burns to their hands, Wilt said. They were treated and released. Another 8 to 12 people were treated for smoke inhalation.

Horrified shoppers at CherryVale Mall watched Lewis lean over a mezzanine railing, handcuff himself, and then burst into flames shouting, "Freedom!" The incident occurred around 8:20 a.m. (9:20 a.m. EST), just over two hours after the mall opened on Friday, one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

"When he started the fire, initially there was a pretty good ball of flames," Wilt said. "It appeared as if he was going to jump."

Thousands of people were in the mall, which serves the Rockford community in northern Illinois, when the incident occurred, Wilt said.

Shopper Neil Jansen heard shouting and looked up to see a man with one leg over the railing. "He went whoosh," Jansen said. "All you could see was flames … you couldn't see his face at all. He was burning up and you were kind of in disbelief that this was happening."

Lewis was transported from the mall to a local hospital, and then transferred to the burn center at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois, near Chicago.

During the incident, a backpack containing three 16-ounce bottles filled with flammable liquids fell off Lewis's back and hit the mall floor below.

Police said Lewis would only tell them his first name and did not offer a motive. Lewis has no criminal background, Wilt said.

None of the mall's stores were damaged in the incident, added Wilt, but three or four stores closed for about two hours after the incident.