THIS is the incredible moment hero cops tackle a man who doused himself in petrol and tried to set himself on fire.
Sgt Charlie Thompson bravely wrestled the unnamed man to the ground after he had doused himself at a petrol station in October last year.
The unnamed man was seen dousing himself in petrol and holding a lighter Credit: SWNS
Sgt Charlie Thompson bravely tackles the man to the ground Credit: SWNS
The man was just inches away from the pumps at the Tesco petrol station forecourt, running the risk of a “catastrophic” explosion.
Dramatic footage from the tense stand-off shows the man demanding to speak to several people, including the mayor.
Sign up for The Jattvibe newsletter
Thank you!
He can be heard threatening to ignite himself and gave emergency services “15 minutes” to act.
Sgt Thompson can be heard pleading with the man, asking him to come and talk to the officers.
VILE CLAIMS
Twisted ‘sex attack’ letter landed my innocent pal in jail & destroyed his life
HORROR MURDERS
I covered Lin & Megan Russell hammer murders – I still have doubts on killer
Once the man had been tackled to the ground firemen sprayed him with foam to prevent the risk of a fire Credit: SWNS
Sgt Thompson has now been nominated for an award at the Police Federation National Police Bravery Awards 2026 Credit: SWNS
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 pours more petrol over his head before quick-thinking Sgt Thompson dashes 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.
How to get help
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide
It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
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.”
For help and support, call the Samaritans for free from a UK phone, completely anonymously, on 116 123 or go to samaritans.org.
