Off-duty cop compared to Die Hard hero after stopping thug from burning down Glasgow restaurant

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Off-duty police officer David Marr threw himself at a thug clutching a petrol can who was threatening to burn down a restaurant – then joked that he wouldn’t let it ruin his lunch.

The sergeant, 42, who has been compared to Bruce Willis’s character in Die Hard, was eating with his wife Jenny, 43, when he tackled the would-be arsonist who had terrorised dozens of diners.

The Police Scotland officer, who is to receive a bravery award this week, then calmly went back to his table to finish his meal.

The thug had argued with a waiter at Ashoka in Glasgow’s Ashton Lane and had been asked to leave twice.He came back a third time armed with a lit cigarette and a five-gallon can of petrol and shouted: “I’m not joking, I’m going to burn it down.”David leapt from his seat and brought him crashing to the ground – preventing him from igniting the petrol.David, who specialises in road traffic investigations, said the suspect had been sitting on a wall outside the Ashoka when he arrived for lunch.He added: “I never took much notice of him at that point.“I remember thinking when he came into the restaurant the second time, ‘Go away, I just want to have a meal in peace.’“I knew when he brought the jerry can into the restaurant that I had to take action given his previous threats.“I’d seen him outside smoking so I knew he had a source of ignition and you can’t be prepared to let that happen – you don’t take the chance.“I stood up, shouted that I was the police and went forward and tried to take control of him and get him away from that jerry can.“It was a very small, confined space so we ended up rolling around.“When he tried to leave, I restrained him on the floor until my colleagues arrived a few minutes later.“I gave them a