Two police officers who tackled a man who had poured petrol over himself and was threatening to set himself alight have been praised for their bravery.
Police said officers were called to a house in Winchester St, Merivale, Christchurch about 8.20pm on Sunday after a woman alerted them that her son was threatening to burn it down.
Inspector Derek Erasmus said it appeared the alleged offender broke into the house while his mother and another woman barricaded themselves in a garage and called police.
Two police officers arrived at the property and found it in darkness, but heard splashing sounds inside and could smell petrol.
"The two identified themselves and saw a man splashing petrol around the inside of the house, and over his head and body,'' Mr Erasmus said.
''The man retreated up the stairs and yelled at the two officers something along the lines of 'I want us all to die'. At that point the officers also saw the man had a lighter in his hand.
"They used pepper spray on the man, which failed to subdue him - possibly because of the petrol he had poured on himself.
"They quickly made the decision to tackle the man to the ground and knocked the petrol can out of his hand. They secured the man, taking the lighter out of his hand, and dragged him down the stairs and outside, removing him from the house.''
Mr Erasmus said when the alleged offender was searched he was found to be carrying boxes of matches and another lighter.
He said the officers' actions showed extreme bravery. "This was a fast-moving and potentially volatile situation,'' he said.
"They acted quickly and decisively to tackle the offender, despite the risk to themselves. I have no doubt that their actions potentially saved one or more people from serious harm.''
A 23-year-old man appeared in the Christchurch District Court yesterday on charges including attempted arson, burglary and threatening to kill, and was remanded in custody to reappear tomorrow.
