Hero officer tackles man with lighter and stops petrol station explosion

Shocking footage has shown the moment a police officer tackled a man threatening to set himself on fire with a lighter at a petrol station.

Sgt Charlie Thompson wrestled the unnamed man to the ground after he had doused himself in petrol in October last year.

The man was just inches away from the pumps at the Tesco petrol station forecourt, running the risk of a ‘catastrophic’ explosion.

Footage from the tense stand-off shows the man demanding to speak to several people, including the mayor.

He could be heard threatening to ignite himself and gave emergency services ’15 minutes’ to act.

Sgt Thompson could be heard pleading with the man, asking him to come and talk to the officers.

He tells him: ‘I will try and do what I can. I won’t talk to you while you are holding a lighter. I will talk to you, but not here.

‘We need to get you away from here. Tell me what’s going on. You don’t need to be doing this. What is this about? You need to be very careful.’

The man then poured more petrol over his head before quick-thinking Sgt Thompson dashed at him, risking his own life before tackling him to the ground.

Other officers pile on top while firemen hose the man down with foam to prevent the risk of a fire.

Sgt Thompson has now been nominated for an award at the Police Federation National Police Bravery Awards 2026.

Acting Chief Constable David Gardner, of Warwickshire Police, said: ‘We are extremely proud of Sgt Thompson, who demonstrated incredible fortitude, empathy, and quick-thinking in his actions that day.

‘It is thanks to him, and the other officers on the ground, that there wasn’t a tragedy that day in Stratford-upon-Avon. He is more than worthy of the Bravery Award.’

Sgt Thompson said: ‘I couldn’t have done it without the team behind me – we co-ordinated, we worked together, and it was together that we stopped what could have been a terrible loss of life.

‘I’m overwhelmed to have been nominated for a Bravery Award – it’s always a good day when our hard work in the police is recognised like this.

‘I hope that the chap I tackled is doing better now – it will have been a very low moment for him, and we hope he’s managed to pick himself back up and get the support he needed.’

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