Man Arrested after Taking Bristol Petrol Station Staff Hostage at Knifepoint

The man dressed entirely in black was seen being led away in handcuffs by officers after a two-hour siege within the Esso station on Hengrove Way in the south of the city.

An unconfirmed number of staff who had been forced to hide in a safe room were also led from the petrol station when the standoff concluded, with witnesses describing dramatic scenes as police officers deployed “flashbangs” to disorient the knife-wielding suspect.

One person was taken to hospital after leaving the petrol station, with injuries that were not life-threatening, Avon and Somerset police said, The Guardian reported.

The force said: “We have detained a man in connection with an incident at a petrol station on Hengrove Way this morning. Investigations at the scene continue.”

A dozen police officers, police vans and cars and ambulances remained on the forecourt at midday, as officers reopened the section of Hengrove Way, a major A-road through the south of Bristol.

Armed officers and a negotiator were sent to the petrol station, police added.

Officers were called at 7.36am on Thursday and were at the scene by 7.41am, police said.

One witness, who works at an outlet within a trade centre overlooking the petrol station, said: “The officers were lined up where the main doors are and they threw a flashbang in, it went bang and disorientated everyone.

“All our vans were delayed going out, but it is what it is.”