A British tourist has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a horrific hit-and-run in the Majorcan party resort of Magaluf.
The holidaymaker was filmed mowing down two pedestrians, a British man and a Polish woman, in a hire car after an argument outside a nearby fast food restaurant on Thursday morning.
Footage published by island newspaper Ultima Hora today showed the suspect appearing to drive deliberately at a group of people stood on the pavement and knocking two men flying.
A trio of bystanders – a woman the victims had been chatting to and two men a couple of feet away – saw the car coming and narrowly avoided being mowed down as the vehicle approached at speed and veered towards them.
Bystanders noticed the oncoming car was speeding towards the pavement and dashed to safety
Two people were caught unawares and the car slammed into them, hurling them into the air
One of the victims was left unconscious on the pavement, and both were rushed to a private hospital in the island capital Palma.
It was not immediately clear this morning if they remained in hospital, although their injuries are not thought to be serious despite the severity of the impact.
The horror incident happened just after 4am on Thursday.
Local reports said the suspect had previously rowed with a British man whose girlfriend had got into a scrap with his partner.
He is said to have left the scene in a rage before returning minutes later behind the wheel, mounting the pavement and ramming into his victims.
It is not yet known whether the man he had argued with moments earlier was one of the two people he hurt.
The suspect, a 29-year-old who has not yet been named, was arrested at nearby Son Matias beach after a police manhunt.
Officers reportedly discovered he had been drinking and consumed drugs, although the Civil Guard have so far not confirmed the results of drink and drug tests.
A spokesman for the force said this morning in its first comments on the case: ‘A 29-year-old British man who was on holiday in Majorca has been arrested on suspicion of attempted homicide following a hit-and-run incident in Magaluf in the early hours of yesterday morning.
‘He was held at nearby Son Matias beach after a police search for him and his vehicle.
The holidaymaker was filmed mowing down two pedestrians with a hire car
One of the victims was left unconscious on the pavement, and both were rushed to a private hospital in the island capital Palma
‘The incident was preceded by some sort of argument that is still under investigation.
‘One of the people hurt is a Polish woman and the other a British man. Both were also on holiday in the area.’
A well-placed source said of the victims: ‘They were both hospitalised but despite the severity of the impact they did not suffer serious injuries and have now been released after treatment.
‘They are very lucky to have survived without life-changing injuries. The footage clearly shows the car hit them full on at speed.’
In May 2019 a British woman was handed a two-year suspended jail sentence after confessing to mowing down the girlfriend of her ex outside flats in Federico Garcia Lorca Street near Magaluf’s brash Punta Ballena area.
Kemi Coaker, then 30, from Manchester, admitted running over Meghan Tattersall, then 25, from Leeds, after a plea bargain deal at a court in Majorca.
Kemi was arrested in May 2018 on suspicion of trying to kill Meghan in a hate-fuelled hit-and-run after the younger woman started dating her ex Andrew Coaker, 41, from Reading.
Kemi Coaker, from Manchester, was spared jail after admitting to the hit-and-run but ordered to stay at least 1,600 ft from her victim
Bar worker Meghan Tattersall, required surgery on her legs after the hit-and-run in the Cala Vinyes resort
She was arrested half an hour after the May 8, 2018 incident in the nearby resort of Cala Vinyes.
The victim’s injuries were initially described as serious and she took three weeks to recover from leg wounds which required surgery.
As well as receiving a two-year suspended jail sentence for a crime of wounding with a dangerous weapon, Coaker was also handed a three-year restraining order preventing her from going within 500 metres of her victim.
