The crazed Spanish driver filmed ramming terrified British holidaymakers on a Majorcan motorway has claimed he doesn’t remember anything about the incident because he was ‘in shock’ after being physically assaulted.
Dramatic footage published yesterday showed the tourists police have described as ‘victims’ being blocked in and then deliberately hit by the motorist, understood to be a 41-year-old Spaniard living in Majorca, after he reversed into their hire car at speed.
The video ended with him sticking his middle finger up before speeding away as the British woman passenger in the vehicle targeted begged her companion to call police.
The shock event was linked initially to the growing tourism-phobia in places like Majorca where Brit holidaymakers were insulted during Saturday’s anti mass tourism march in the island capital Palma.
But police are insisting it was an unconnected road rage incident that had nothing to do with any anti-tourist sentiment.
Dramatic footage published yesterday showed the tourists police have described as ‘victims’ being blocked in and then deliberately hit by the motorist
Police are insisting it was an unconnected road rage incident that had nothing to do with any anti-tourist sentiment
And the lawyer acting for the unnamed Spaniard who faces a court probe for alleged reckless driving and intentional damage towards another driver claimed today he had given police a written statement saying he saw red after being assaulted by one of the Brits and had his glasses smashed.
Lydia Martin, of Palma-based law firm Raso & Asociados, said her client had also told officers he couldn’t remember anything about the shocking scenes captured on camera by the British tourists and traffic chiefs because he was ‘in shock’ after being hit.
She said: ‘What you see in the video that’s been released by police follows an incident in which one of the British people in the other car physically hit my client and broke his glasses.
‘What he told the police in his statement was that he was driving and came across the British tourists’ car reversing on a roundabout as he reached it after coming off the motorway.
‘He didn’t have a clue at that point what their nationality was and it’s in no way linked to any tourism-phobia.
The shock event was linked initially to the growing tourism-phobia in places like Majorca where Brit holidaymakers were insulted during Saturday’s anti mass tourism march
In dramatic scenes caught on a phone camera and on CCTV near Palma airport in Mallorca, British holidaymakers are seen desperately trying to escape as they are hounded by a rogue local
Lydia Martin, of Palma-based law firm Raso & Asociados, said her client had also told officers he couldn’t remember anything about the shocking scenes
‘He began to flash his lights and signal with his hands to say they couldn’t do what they were doing and that they had to carry on going forward.
‘They both carried on driving but my client told the police the British people began to get very aggressive and started honking their horn and insulting him and making rude signs with their fingers.
‘He didn’t understand anything and stopped his car on the side of the road and went up to them to ask them what was happening and tell them he had simply wanted to make them understand they were committing a traffic violation.
‘My client describes what he calls an older man and a younger one that could have been a father and son getting out of the car and the younger one hitting him and breaking his glasses.
‘It left my client in a state of shock. After this he doesn’t remember anything else.
‘We can see some of what happened in the videos but he doesn’t have any recollection of this.
The unnamed man was seen swearing at the British tourists
He was also seen reversing into their hire car
‘The police apparently ended up coming shortly after the moment when you see him sticking his middle finger up but it’s all a bit hazy for him because of the state of shock he was in.
‘He says the last thing he remembers was getting in his car after the assault and trying to call police but not being able to.
‘There’s a register of calls where you can see that he’s tried to call the number but presses too many numbers or the wrong numbers because of the state he’s in.
‘He’s already received a fine but he hasn’t been called to court yet to testify. When he is called he intends repeating what he told police in his statement.
‘I don’t believe it’s something he’s making up because we have medical reports from the day of the incident confirming he was assaulted plus the broken glasses.’
Well-placed sources said he had no criminal record.
One said: ‘He obviously lost his temper big time’ but added: ‘He’s not someone who is known to police on the island.’
The British tourists were forced to reverse down a one-way road
The Brits said they had been chased by the man for a mile down the motorway
Another added: ‘He will eventually be summoned to court to explain to a judge what happened that day.’
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Police sources have confirmed the British holidaymakers filed a complaint on the Spanish mainland a few days after the incident happened when they discovered they had been billed for the damage to their hire car.
They are thought to have been heading to Palma Airport to take the vehicle back the day of the drama.
The Civil Guard in Majorca said yesterday in a statement about the April 19 incident and the outcome of its probe to identify the Spanish driver: ‘The Civil Guard has investigated a man as the alleged perpetrator of a crime of reckless driving and intentional damage towards another driver with whom he had had an argument minutes before.
‘The argument between the two drivers began in the Som Oms industrial estate in the Majorcan capital Palma.
‘After the altercation, the suspect chased the other vehicle onto the MA-19 motorway, where he made several reckless manoeuvres to block the other driver’s path.
Police sources have confirmed the British holidaymakers filed a complaint on the Spanish mainland a few days after the incident happened
Spanish police released a video detailing the incident
‘The victim even stopped the vehicle at one of the junctions to the aforementioned motorway, reversing, in order to flee from the other driver.
‘At that moment, the vehicle that was pursuing him also reversed backwards until it intentionally collided with him, causing considerable material damage to both vehicles.
‘Following the complaint received and after analysing the videos provided by both the Directorate General of Traffic and the complainant himself, the officers located the driver who is under investigation.’
The force made no mention in its statement of any alleged assault by one of the Brits on the Spaniard.
In dramatic scenes caught on a phone camera and on CCTV near Palma airport in Mallorca, British holidaymakers are seen desperately trying to escape as they are hounded by a rogue local who endangered their lives with his aggressive driving.
CCTV footage captured the moment the reckless driver dangerously swerved round the left-side of the tourist’ car and rammed them off the road as they tried to get onto a motorway.
A British tourist told MailOnline exclusively this week that a massive anti-tourist protest in Majorca was ‘intimidating’
An estimated 15,000 locals joined the protest that snaked through the capital Palma and headed for Weyler Square on Saturday
Majorca has seen a rise in anti-tourism sentiment
A second angle shows how the car of tourists was forced to reverse down a one-way road to avoid being attacked, before the local man put his motor in reverse and repeatedly rammed it into them.
The tourists’ car can be seen buckling as it was crashed into, before the local is filmed swearing at them through the window and speeds away from the scene of the crime.
Horrifying phone footage from inside tourists’ vehicle shows a woman crying helplessly as the white SUV smashes into them, as she tries to find out what Spain‘s emergency number was to call the police.
In chilling video of the moment the holidaymakers are attacked, the British woman can be heard wailing as the car is smashed into them.
The local man was then seen angrily raising his middle finger at the tourists before driving away.
It comes as Majorca has seen a rise in anti-tourism sentiment.
Protesters hold a banner reading ‘Stop abusive rentals’ during a demonstration to protest against the massification of tourism
Thousands of people demonstrated against tourism policies on the island of Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain on April 20, 2024
A British tourist told MailOnline exclusively this week that a massive anti-tourist protest in Majorca was ‘intimidating’ as she witnessed locals telling foreign diners outside of restaurants to ‘go home’.
An estimated 15,000 locals joined the protest that snaked through the capital Palma and headed for Weyler Square on Saturday, where holidaymakers were out in force for dinner and drinks.
Polly Taylor, who was dining with three friends, said that she initially had no idea what the crowd were doing until they started to come closer to the restaurant as armed police began to show up on the scene.
‘It was like a storm was coming but we didn’t know what the storm was about….then the noise from the protestors just got louder and louder and we were swamped with them’, Taylor said.
Eventually, as the small group with whistles and drums began to get louder and louder, a Majorcan who was dining nearby attempted to engage with the agitators.