Man 'pours fuel on himself before threatening to set himself alight'

Footage seen by the Echo shows a man in Lagland Street, Poole town centre, standing next to a petrol canister surrounded by police officers. 

After several minutes of shouting and negotiations, the police officers eventually pounced on the man to detain him. 

Residents watched on from the balcony of a nearby block of flats in shock, as multiple emergency services  vehicles surrounded the area.

Police in Lagland Street (Image: Submit)

One witness, who captured the moment on video and wished to remain anonymous, said he heard an argument before the police arrived. 

He said: “A couple of paramedic ladies walked over to check on him, [but] after about one minute they ran away from the van saying to police he's trying to set himself on fire. 

“He then appeared [...] with a fuel can and threw the fuel over himself.” 

The resident of Poole added: “He was in the ambulance for about 40 minutes then put in the back of police van at about 10pm.” 

Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said it was asked to attend the incident by the police shortly after 9pm. 

Police eventually detained the man (Image: Submit)

Firefighters from Poole fire station attended and used an environmental pad to soak up fuel on the ground, before leaving the scene just before 10pm. 

Images from the scene show multiple blue light vehicles parked outside flats opposite The Cockleshell late at night. 

The Echo approached Dorset Police on Saturday morning for more details on the incident that happened on Friday evening, April 5, however the force is not responding to enquiries.