Imagine walking into a quiet pub car park on a typical morning, only to come face-to-face with a man in what looks like a police uniform, pointing a gun at you. That’s exactly what happened in Braunstone Town, Leicester, when 25-year-old Hari Mann took deception to a dangerous level, sparking a dramatic armed response from police.
Mann, who had driven a Mercedes Sprinter van into the car park, was busy unloading its contents when a concerned member of the public approached him. Instead of answering questions, he pulled out a handgun and aimed it directly at them. The alarm was raised immediately, and within minutes, armed police officers were on the scene.
What happened next could have been straight out of a thriller. As the firearms officers arrived, Mann fired shots at them. But in a remarkable display of composure, one officer quickly identified that the weapon was firing blanks, a detail that prevented an already tense situation from turning deadly.
Despite the revelation that the gun wasn’t real, Mann didn’t surrender easily. He tried to escape, but officers deployed a Taser and swiftly brought him to the ground. Even in custody, he remained aggressive, assaulting a nurse while being processed.
At Leicester Crown Court, the judge made it clear that Mann’s reckless actions would not go unpunished. He was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to a long list of offences, including:
- Possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence (six counts)
- Modifying an imitation firearm
- Impersonating a police officer
- Assaulting an emergency worker
Detective Inspector Hazel Sandall praised the fast response of Leicestershire Police, noting that within just 18 minutes of the first emergency call, Mann was in handcuffs.
“This was an incident that had a significant impact on the local community,” Sandall stated. “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.”
A fake police uniform, an imitation gun, and reckless actions, Mann’s dangerous stunt could have ended in tragedy. Instead, it serves as a stark reminder that pretending to be the law comes with real consequences.
