NY used his keyboard to write :
Was that ever done as a way of stalling an engine to turn it off. It would
have been in the late 60s, so whatever technology (mechanical fuel pump and
injectors) was around at the time. Not sure whether it was 2-stroke (eg
Commer "Knocker") or 4-stroke.

Certainly the had cranked static diesels of the era, had a lever to
release the compression, so the could be cranked over. You moved the
lever, cranked up to speed then released the lever to hopefully have it
fire up. Possibly lorries had a similar device too, to allow the
starter to crank the engine over. Called a 'valve lifter' I think (?)..

Such a lever would stop a runaway diesel engine, if used on all
cylinders.