This Friday morning saw moments of great tension in the municipality of Teba, in the north of Malaga province. According to sources, a man armed ... with a knife caused panic in the middle of the road. The suspect, as SUR has learnt, is said to have been obstructing traffic and lunging at vehicles with the weapon.
The incident took place at around ten o’clock in the morning, when the police began to receive numerous calls. According to witnesses, a shirtless, heavily built man who was visibly agitated had brought traffic to a standstill at the junction of the A-7278 and the A-367, near Teba.
They also reported that the suspect was lunging at the cars and striking the windows with his weapon. Given the panic this caused among the drivers, three Guardia Civil patrols and a crew from the Teba Local Police were immediately dispatched to the scene.
It appears that a National Police officer stationed in Ronda took decisive action to subdue the suspect, despite being off duty. Coming across the scene while driving his private car, the officer got out of the vehicle and pointed his service weapon at the man, ordering him to drop the knife and desist from his behaviour before the patrol cars arrived.
According to initial reports, the man who was arrested was travelling in a van with three other people, bound for Granada. At some point during the journey, it appears the man suffered a fit of extreme agitation, forcing the driver to pull over so that he could get out onto the road.
Shortly afterwards, several units from the Guardia Civil and the Local Police arrived at the scene, comprising a total of eight officers and four patrol cars. The security forces proceeded to subdue and arrest the individual, who allegedly put up fierce physical resistance during the arrest.
The man is alleged to have committed offences of serious disruption of public order and making threats. According to sources, the Guardia Civil is awaiting a medical report to determine whether it might reveal the reason for his agitated state.