Walter Finch
A MAN intent on revenge and armed with two shotguns hijacked a taxi on the Costa del Sol and told the driver to take him to the local police station.
The 70-year-old flagged down the taxi in the Benalmadena area after police towed his car away from outside a supermarket for bad parking.
Outraged that he might be made an example of when bad parking is a feature of Spanish driving across the country, the man, who it is thought suffers from mental health issues, grabbed his shotguns.
The veteran taxi driver, who had been taking passengers for over 15 years, initially dismissed the passenger’s angry ranting as the usual bluster.
However, the situation escalated when, after a stop at the man’s home, he returned fully armed.
“I was frozen seeing him armed to the teeth, realising his intentions could be real,” the driver said.
“They towed away my car while it was parked in the car park of Mercadona!” he cried.
“I’m going to kill them! I’m going to murder innocent people!” his crazed passenger declared.
When the driver tried to reason with him, and remind him of family, and that it was Christmas time, the man brushed him away.
“I don’t care about family, I don’t care about Christmas! Everyone is going to die like in the movies.”
The driver secretly filmed the man and the interaction, managing to alert the central taxi service using an emergency button in the vehicle.
This quick thinking enabled the police to become aware of the situation and locate the taxi.
In a dramatic interception, a number of Policia Local stopped the taxi and forcibly dragged the man out of the vehicle without a shot being fired.
Video captured the moment, with the shotguns falling out of the car before the man was dragged feet first screaming onto the tarmac.
Police managed to subdue and arrest the individual, who was in possession of 157 bullet cartridges as well as the two shotguns.
He faces charges of resistance, threats, and assaulting police. Further weapons were found during a search of his home.
The taxi driver community, while relieved that the situation did not escalate further, is calling for improved safety measures to protect drivers from such situations.
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