A British tourist has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a gruesome hit and run at the Majorcan party resort of Magaluf.
The holidaymaker was filmed mowing down two pedestrians, a British man and a Polish woman, in a rental car after an altercation outside a nearby fast food restaurant on Thursday morning.
Footage published today by the island newspaper Ultima Hora shows that the suspect appeared to drive deliberately towards a group of people standing on the sidewalk and hit two flying men.
A trio of bystanders—a woman the victims had been talking to and two men a few feet away—saw the car approaching and narrowly avoided being mowed down as the vehicle approached at high speed and swerved toward them.
Bystanders noticed that the oncoming car was speeding towards the curb and rushed to safety
Two people were caught unexpectedly and the car crashed into them, throwing them into the air
One of the victims was left unconscious on the doorstep and both were rushed to a private hospital in the island’s capital of Palma.
It was not immediately clear this morning whether they remained in hospital, although their injuries are not considered serious despite the severity of the impact.
The horror incident happened just after 4 a.m. on Thursday.
According to local reports, the suspect had previously rowed with a British man whose girlfriend had gotten into a fight with his partner.
He allegedly left the scene in a rage before returning behind the wheel minutes later, ramping onto the curb and ramming into his victims.
It is not yet known whether the man he had a fight with just before was one of the two people he hurt.
The suspect, a 29-year-old who has not yet been named, was arrested on the nearby beach of Son Matias following a police manhunt.
Officers reportedly discovered he had been drinking and taking drugs, although the Civil Guard has not yet confirmed the results of alcohol and drug tests.
A spokesman for the force said this morning in his initial comment on the case: ‘A 29-year-old British man who was on holiday in Majorca has been arrested on suspicion of attempted manslaughter following a hit and run in Magaluf in the early hours of yesterday morning.
He was detained at nearby Son Matias beach after police searched for him and his vehicle.
The holidaymaker was filmed mowing down two pedestrians with a rental car
One of the victims was left unconscious on the doorstep and both were rushed to a private hospital in the island’s capital of Palma
“The incident was preceded by some kind of argument that is still under investigation.
“One of the injured 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 hospitalized but despite the severity of the impact, they suffered no serious injuries and have now been released after treatment.
“They are very lucky to have survived without life-changing injuries. The images clearly show that the car hit them at full speed.’
In May 2019, a British woman was given a two-year suspended sentence after confessing to mowing down her ex’s girlfriend outside flats on Federico Garcia Lorca Street near Magaluf’s brash neighborhood of Punta Ballena.
Kemi Coaker, then 30, from Manchester, admitted to running over Meghan Tattersall, then 25, from Leeds after a plea deal in a Majorca court.
Kemi was arrested in May 2018 on suspicion of the attempted murder of Meghan in a hate-fueled hit-and-run after the younger woman began dating her ex Andrew Coaker, 41, from Reading.
Kemi Coaker, from Manchester, was spared jail after admitting to the hit-and-run but was ordered to stay at least 500 yards from her victim
Bar worker Meghan Tattersall had to have surgery on her legs after a hit and run at 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 that required surgery.
Coaker not only received a two-year suspended sentence for wounding with a dangerous weapon, but also received a three-year restraining order prohibiting her from coming within 500 yards of her victim.