Palma Police report having arrested a 19-year-old Spanish man with a record for robbery and domestic violence. The arrest was on Tuesday after a chase, injury to a police officer and serious damage to a police car.
Around 11.45am on Tuesday, a car failed to stop at a routine police control in the Son Malferit Industrial Estate. The driver attempted to run over an officer. A chase ensued. At one point he was driving at high speed in the wrong direction on the Manacor road. Pedestrians had to take evasive action, as did other drivers.
The car chase eventually ended on C. Ortega y Gasset. He was surrounded by police, reversed his car and rammed one of the police cars, causing serious damage and trapping an officer inside; he later received medical attention for a back injury. The driver then fled on foot, escaping from an officer who had gone in pursuit.
The car was searched, and the police found his ID plus sacks filled with a large quantity of copper, a balaclava, crowbars, and other tools for breaking and entering. A check revealed that he didn't have a driving licence, that he had a history of robbery and domestic violence and that he was wanted in connection with a fatal accident in Palma last November.
The police finally tracked him down and he was taken before a judge who ordered his imprisonment due to his extensive criminal record and the danger he posed. In respect of the incident on Tuesday, he was charged with various traffic offences, assaulting law enforcement officers, serious disobedience, and damage to property.