A man wielding two knives was tasered five times by police at a petrol station near Bassett Avenue in Southampton

Terrified staff called 999 as they were threatened by the man who had armed himself with two knives.

The drama unfolded on a petrol station forecourt in the early hours of the morning as staff manned the 24-hour garage.

Eight officers raced to the scene initially and began trying to talk to the man and get him to put the weapons down.

But the situation escalated as the violent man wielding the weapons got more aggressive and agitated.

Hampshire police told the Daily Echo how a further four specialist officers from the force's armed response unit, were sent to the scene along with a police dog and its handler.

Even more police units were then placed on standby amid strong concerns the situation was about to get worse.

When attempts to negotiate with the 29-year-old failed, police used a baton gun to fire rubber bullets at him - but they had no effect.

A decision was then taken to use Taser, which was fired by three officers a total of five times before the knifeman was incapacitated and fell to the ground.

The frightening ordeal happened exactly one week ago but details have only been released by Hampshire police today after an inquiry from the Daily Echo.

A spokesman said officers had responded to a 999 call made around 2.30am on Thursday, December 4, reporting a man armed with a knife and making threats on the Shell garage forecourt at the top of Bassett Avenue, at the junction with the M3.

He said: “As the incident progressed, it became clear the man was carrying two knives.

“Officers equipped with, and trained in the use of, Taser were deployed to the scene to engage with the man. “Their priority was to make the area safe for staff at the garage and the wider community as well as maintaining their own safety and that of the man himself.

“The officers initially spoke to the man to try and negotiate with him. He became increasingly agitated and aggressive. “The officers fired rounds from their baton guns which had no effect on the man. They then drew and discharged their Taser. The man was incapacitated and the officers were able to safely detain him.”

The incident has since been referred to the force's professional standards department who reviewed the decision to activate the Tasers and determined it was “legitimate and proportionate in the circumstances”.

Chief Inspector Ian Whyton said: “Taser is one of a range of tactical options available to the police when dealing with violent individuals or people who threaten violence.

“It is rare that we have to resort to discharging Taser; in the majority of cases simply drawing it is enough to deter suspects. We only discharge Taser if there is a heightened risk of harm either to the general public, suspects themselves or police officers responding to the incident.”

• THE latest incident comes just days after the Daily Echo reported how more Hampshire officers will be equipped with Tasers.

Chief Constable Andy Marsh had sanctioned equipping an extra 60 frontline officers with the devices once they have been trained.

That means a 20 per cent increase on the 300 officers currently armed with the weapons which are designed to incapacitate someone through an electric current should they pose a risk to themselves, others or the wider public.

Hampshire Police Chief Constable Andy Marsh

It comes after the chairman of the Hampshire Police Federation called on the force to arm more police due to increasing “extreme levels of violence” they face and the cut in police numbers.

Currently around 300 officers are trained to use the devices and this move will see a further 60 officers receive training to carry them while on duty.

Hampshire's Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Hayes approved the rollout, which will cost almost £20,000.