An Indian-origin man who wore a fake police uniform and fired blanks at armed officers while brandishing an imitation gun near Leicester, eastern England, has been sentenced to three years' imprisonment.
Hari Mann, 25, pointed a handgun at a member of the public before firing the blanks at police officers in Braunstone Town on the morning of June 4, 2024.
Leicestershire Police officers' fast-paced response was praised in court as Mann was sentenced at Leicester Crown Court on Friday.
"This was an incident that resulted in a fast-paced policing response and had a significant impact on the local community," said Detective Inspector (DI) Hazel Sandall.
"The first report to our control room was made at 9.57 am and Mann was arrested at 10.15 am. Thanks to the quick reactions of our call handlers and firearms officers, he was detained before he was able to cause physical harm to anyone. It is enormous credit to officers and staff involved in this response that they were able to bring the incident to a swift and safe conclusion," he said.
The court heard that Mann had driven a Mercedes Sprinter van into a pub car park and began to empty its contents. After being confronted by a member of the public, Mann then pointed a handgun at him. This led to police being called and armed officers were deployed.
"The items uncovered by officers as the investigation progressed were deeply concerning. While his weapon contained blank rounds, the fact he was still prepared to pull the trigger at armed officers makes me truly believe he wanted to cause fear of serious harm to the public and police," said DI Sandall.
"This is not something which we will tolerate and, as our officers and staff showed, we will take immediate action to ensure our communities remain protected and safe," he added.
When the firearms officers arrived at the scene, they were confronted by Mann, who fired shots at them. One of the armed officers immediately recognised that an imitation weapon was being used and that blanks were being fired, which meant he was quickly able to diffuse the situation.
"A Taser was deployed and despite Mann trying to run away, he was swiftly detained, taken to the ground and arrested. While in custody, Mann also assaulted a nurse," Leicestershire Police said in a statement.
Due to concerns regarding the contents of the van, a cordon was put in place and several nearby properties were evacuated as a precaution.
As part of the ongoing investigation, officers also searched an address in Lancaster Place in Leicester that was linked to Mann and found another firearm, a police-style uniform and handcuffs. Some parts of the uniform were found to have been bought from an online auction site. Two cars - a Ford Mustang and Ford C-Max - that were also linked to Mann were located and found to contain sirens and blue light equipment.
Mann was subsequently charged by police and pleaded guilty on October 9 last year at Leicester Crown Court to: six counts of possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence; one count of modifying an imitation firearm; one count of impersonating a police officer; and one count of assault of an emergency worker.
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