Police have released terrifying footage of a man being engulfed by a fireball after another man hurled a Molotov cocktail at him outside a California supermarket.

The 54-year-old victim, who has not been identified, was "minding his own business" outside the store in Long Beach on October 20 when he was attacked by a man who appeared to be in his late twenties, police said. Authorities released surveillance footage which shows the older man sitting on the pavement outside the store as several other people wait nearby. A man standing in front of him can be seen lighting something before suddenly spinning around and hurling it at him, causing him to go up in flames. The explosion just misses a baby in a pram, which somebody quickly pulls out of the way.

The victim is seen running through the car park alight before dropping to the ground and rolling as bystanders rush to help and his attacker runs away. Police said the victim was in a serious condition in hospital where he had been sedated with serious burns to the lower part of his body, his hands and face.They said it did not appear that he knew his attacker and the crime was not thought to be gang related.

Local police sergeant Aaron Eaton said the victim was waiting for his father to get food and minding his own business when the attacker came from an alley and threw a lighted bottle at him."It's a crime that I haven't seen in my time as a law enforcement officer," Sergeant Eaton said.

"It's just unbelievable that someone would use that type of weapon against somebody, and in this case a man who was just sitting there minding his own business."

Source:

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/2012/10/23/05/23/cctv-shows-waiting-man-attacked-with-molotov-cocktail