Michael Olsen , 52 , has been jailed for 12 years after shooting a police officer in the hand . A thug who shot a hero policeman in the hand as he was tackled to the ground after threatening to blow another officer 's head off has been jailed for 12 years . Michael Olsen , 52 , from Dartford , Kent , was challenged by PCs Mark Bird and Robert Wilson after abandoning his car in the middle of the road after ploughing into a traffic island and parked cars . He initially ignored the officers who were pursuing him by car but when they got out he turned round and pulled a gun to PC Wilson 's head . When PC Bird lunged at Olsen in a bid to save his colleague he felt a sharp pain through his hand and realised he had been shot . They were able to restrain and arrest him , where they found a bag of bullets in his pocket . The 45-year-old officer , who is now back on duty , and his colleague had been called to a routine traffic accident in Welling on October 3 , last year , when the incident unfolded . A Land Rover Freelander had been abandoned in the middle of the road after a crash and a member of the public had called to say the driver had walked off . The police officers went after Olsen in their car and spotted him walking along a nearby residential street where they confronted him . PC Bird , who has been in the force for nearly 23 years , said : ' I challenged him and he ignored us and carried on walking . We stopped the car almost straight away and jumped out . 'As I challenged him again he turned around , pulled out a revolver and pointed it about five or six feet away from Rob 's head . He said : `` If you come any closer I will blow your effing head off '' . ' He added : ' I looked at his eyes , and I thought he means what he says he 's going to do , so I went for him with my left arm to try and knock the gun away from him . PC Mark Bird ( pictured ) was attending a routine traffic accident with his colleague PC Robert Wilson in October last year when the incident happened . 'As I did this he turned towards me . I felt the gun in the palm of my hand and he fired one shot . I felt a really sharp pain , like someone pushing a knife through and then pulling it out again . ' Police believe he was on his way to see his ex-girlfriend whom he was banned from seeing under bail conditions . PC Bird added : 'It was literally such a split second thing and we had to try to do something , because we were cornered really , and there was no way we were going to let him go . 'It 's only afterwards that you realise the gravity of it . If the bullet had gone through the wrist , it could have gone up the arm and travelled towards the heart . 'Someone was watching over us that night . I 'm still here , I 'm still a police officer , I 'm carrying on . ' The officers challenged Olsen but he turned round and pulled a gun to PC Wilson 's head . PC Bird stepped in to save him but as he did he was shot in the hand ( pictured , his injuries ) As Olsen pointed the revolver at the officer 's head he threatened : 'If you come any closer I will blow your effing head off ' . He denied knowing the gun was real but was found guilty at Inner London Crown Court . PC Wilson said : 'It happened so quickly . It 's when you sit down afterwards and start to think about things , what ifs , what could have happened . 'You see the injury to Mark 's hand and you think that gun was pointing at my head - so there 's no way I 'd be here now if Mark 's hand had n't got in the way . ' In custody Olsen , denied knowing the gun was real , claiming he thought it was a toy . He was found guilty of GBH with intent , possession of a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life and dangerous driving and jailed for 12 years at Inner London Crown Court .
Michael Olsen , 52 , abandoned his car after ploughing into a traffic island . He was confronted by PCs Mark Bird and Robert Wilson but pulled out gun . PC Bird lunged at Olsen in bid to save colleague but was shot in the hand . Olsen claimed gun was toy but found guilty at Wilson .