Police step in to bring down armed man

ARMED policemen subdued a knife-wielding man on the Fuengirola seafront. Panicked diners at bars and restaurants in Carvajal fled from their seats when the man was spotted brandishing the weapon.

Worried business owners contacted police as the previously packed area quickly emptied at around 2.30pm on Sunday March 12. First to arrive on the scene were two Local Police officers who jumped out of their car and drew their weapons.

With their guns trained firmly on the suspect, the officers stuck to instructions, circling the man and holding him in position while they waited for backup to arrive.

After such a volume of frantic calls to the police all available patrols had been quickly scrambled. Within moments a National Police patrol car sped to the scene.

The suspect immediately recoiled in fear when he saw them. With no hesitation the two agents drew their batons and marched confidently towards their man. Taking absolutely no chances in this dangerous modern climate they dealt him several quick, ferocious blows with their batons as another officer kept his gun steady.

Once subdued, disarmed and restrained, the man was taken to a nearby medical facility and then on to Fuengirola police station. Police authorities have not provided any information as to his motivation or state of mind and there is no evidence that the incident was terror-related.

The entire scene was filmed by a resident with a bird’s eye view from a nearby balcony. The video was made public on Tuesday and makes for harrowing viewing.

With the threat of terrorism across Spain and the Costa del Sol always in the background, the urgent and effective action of the police is due praise. Especially as they were able to subdue the suspect without resorting to gunfire.