Did you witness the incident in Marbella? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368
A BRIT was allegedly high on cocaine when he ploughed an Audi through crowds of terrified pedestrians, injuring eight people at a popular Spanish resort.
Chilling footage shows screaming tourists jumping into bushes to escape the car that crashed into five vehicles, injuring a 12-day-old baby and seven others on Sunday.
Local authorities claimed a fight outside the Ocean Club in Marbella sparked the incident, with reports saying the driver targeted people he had argued with moments before.
Traumatised witnesses described how they feared "they would die", with footage showing horrified beach-goers screaming as they tried to escape.
A source said the driver was "a fraction" over the drink-drive limit but said: "What he tested positive for was drugs, cocaine in this instance.
"The man believed to be a passenger in the car tested positive for cannabis.”
Two British men, in their 20s, are now in custody and are expected to face court later this week.
Video of the crash, filmed from a nearby apartment block above the scene, captures the sound of car tyres squealing as it races around the street, with a shuddering smash heard before someone can be heard screaming "somebody help me".
Eight people overall were injured, with injuries including broken legs and a fractured pelvis.
Others can be seen appearing to rush over to those injured in the horror, with one witness telling The Sun how she was left fearing for her life, saying: "I was lying on the ground. I thought I was going to die.
"I saw two people get hit and heard at least another six hit. It came out of nowhere."
Two people remain in hospital.
Witnesses told police the Audi SQ7 deliberately drove at high speed at pedestrians in an area off-limits to cars which runs from a roundabout down to steps overlooking the Mediterranean and the entrance to the Ocean Club.
The vehicle was left a write-off after a high-speed police chase which ended with the black Audi careering down the wrong side of the Golden Mile dual-carriageway running between Marbella and Puerto Banus.
It hit several cars including one carrying a young baby who was injured.
One Brit tourist said he had been told by witnesses that the driver sped around a round-a-bout five times with people desperately scrambling to get out of his way.
The man, who did not want to be named, said he arrived at the scene in the aftermath, seeing a number of people seriously injured.
He told The Sun Online: “People were screaming and going mad.
“There was a guy in the bush not even moving who had a huge bruise, he must have been smacked by the car from behind.”
He said he saw a second man with a huge bandage on his head also being treated by ambulances at the scene.
He said in the 25 years he had regularly visited the area, he had “never seen anything like this.”
He said: “I ran a couple of girls home, they were hysterical.
“People had jumped into trees and bushes to get away from this guy, it was awful.”
Another witness, who had been at the Ocean Club all day, told The Sun: "I thought it was a terrorist attack at first.
"We thought someone would get out and start shooting people."
Did you witness the incident in Marbella? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368
The young Brit, who did not wish to be named, said the car arrived shortly after an altercation between two groups of young men.
He added: "It drove along the pavement towards us, slowly at first.
"Then some big muscly blokes jumped in and it sped up, going round in circles hitting people.
"The tyres were squealing – it was going on for about five minutes. I had to jump over a wall to stop him hitting me.
"People were jumping in bushes and getting under cars."
A Brit has relived the moment he was forced to jump a fence to escape a car targeting pedestrians near a popular Spanish resort.
The man was on his stag do with friends when the horror unfolded, with the young man saying they were left in tears at their lucky escape.
He told The Sun Online: “We had just come out of the Ocean Club and a group of people were walking up the little strip to get to the round-a-bout where people get cabs.
“There was an altercation near us – no one was throwing punches but there was a bit of swearing and people pushing each other off.
“As we got a bit further up, we saw an Audi SQ7 start to drive really slowly and then it mounted the curb.
“We thought it was just showing off but then all of a sudden, we heard this screeching of tyres.”
The young Brit, who did not want to be named, said everyone immediately panicked, with crowds running from the car that began to circle the round-a-bout, appearing to target specific people.
He said: “I had to jump over a fence and my friend jumped on a car.
“I saw physically one person get hit – a black guy got hit hard while trying to get out of the way.
“It was swerving down the road and the guy went straight onto the bonnet and into the air.”
He said it wasn’t until an unmarked police car arrived that the Audi left the scene, where it eventually crashed as it tried to evade police.
He said: “I thought it was a terrorist attack, it’s happened so much lately.
“We were worried and thought he would get out and try to shoot people.
“People were trying to run away and hide, hiding under cars and in bushes.
He said his friends had been reduced to tears at the horror, with the group of friends still grappling to come to terms with the incident.
He said: “I was so shocked, it came out of nowhere.”
The traumatised witness, a 22-year-old Brit, added: "I was on the phone to my mum, dad and boyfriend because I thought I was going to die."
A well-informed police source allayed fears of terrorism, saying: “A man of British origin believed to have been driving under the influence of alcohol has been arrested.
“There is no evidence this was in any way terrorism-related.
“Three pedestrians were injured at the scene of the original incident.
"There were casualties at the car crash scene as well, including a young baby, but none are believed to be serious.”
It is understood one of the men had been living in Marbella.
The Ocean Club is a favourite of Brit celebs including Katie Price, footballer Aaron Lennon, Calum Best and the Towie cast including Mario Falcone, Mark Wright and Sam Faiers.
Cops closed off part of nearby Marbella’s Golden Mile where the hit-and-run driver crashed near a five-star hotel a couple of miles from the Ocean Club after fleeing the scene.
Marbella's mayor Jose Bernal has insisted that the area was safe, saying: "Marbella is a safe place and when isolated incidents like this occur, the emergency services and forces of law and order have shown they act immediately and efficiently.
";What happened yesterday was basically two drunks on drugs who had a fight in a club and got in a car and ended up running over three people in their madness who thankfully survived.
"It’s an exceptional occurrence in Marbella which should make us feel proud of the security we have here."
Javier Martin, who heads up Marbella’s local police force, said it would be up to investigators to decide whether the incident was an accident or if the victims were run over deliberately.
A spokesman for the Ocean Club, where most revellers are Brits, said they were not aware of the incident and it hadn’t happened inside the club.
The club was celebrating its annual Champagne party, at which revellers often end up spraying each other with expensive bottles of bubbly.
The event normally attracts celebs and top footballers.
The Interior Ministry says the driver also was seriously injured when the car eventually crashed.
The Civil Guard says officers tried to stop the car at a motorway check Sunday evening when it sped off into the town, where it rammed into a crowded pedestrian avenue.
The Interior Ministry says that three people were injured on the street and that the driver and four others were hurt in a multiple car accident caused by the fleeing car.
The ministry says police arrested two passengers in the car.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368
