Manhunt after armed man barricaded inside house in Malaga province town escapes during police operation

The man barricaded inside a house in Campillos in the north of Malaga province since last night with a firearm has, apparently, escaped from the property before police officers could lock it down. Guardia Civil sources have confirmed that when officers entered the property late this morning they did not find the individual, so they have launched a manhunt to find him.

The initial operation was launched in the early hours of this Tuesday morning (28 May) after police went to the man's home, in the Don Benito neighbourhood, following an alert from locals about an alleged altercation between residents.

According to sources, when police arrived, the man reacted by pulling out a sawed-off shotgun and threatened the officers. At the time, the individual's mother was apparently in the house, but she left after a while as she was not feeling well.

Early this morning, a special unit of the Guardia Civil, sent from Madrid, was sent to negotiate with the man, when he was still believed to be in the property. Apparently, he is a well-known person in the town with the nickname 'Chumbo' and, according to sources, is wanted for his alleged involvement in a robbery.