An 18-year-old Federal Way teenager, Marshall Herrick, who police say tossed an envelope full of racing fuel onto a bonfire at Alki Beach in June has been charged with three counts of assault. Two other males and one female were injured in the incident and taken to the hospital.

As the West Seattle Herald reported on June 11, students from Federal Way's Thomas Jefferson High School came to Alki Beach to perform a kind of ritual burning of their former homework in a bonfire.

Some witnesses told police that Herrick may have been intoxicated when he sparked the explosion.

Charging documents in the case allege Herrick came to the homework burning party equipped with an apple juice container full of gasoline, a gallon size container of racing fuel, and a small metal can of brake fluid.

Herrick allegedly used the accelerants to boost flames as he threw homework into the bonfire. Others attending the event told police they pleaded with the defendant numerous times to stop using the fuel, but he downplayed their concern, stating he knew what he was doing and had been around fire before.

According to court documents, the burns to three victims (and Herrick himself) and resultant assault charges stemmed from an alleged escalation where Herrick took an 8 x 11 inch envelope filled with homework, filled it with racing fuel, and threw it into the fire.

Fuel and fire exploded into the group, according to court documents, causing 1st and 2nd degree burns to three victims who were taken to Harborview Hospital for treatment.