Costa del Sol off-duty police officer arrests man for threatening passersby with knife

A man caused panic last Wednesday after walking nearly two kilometres from Benalmádena to Torremolinos with a large knife, allegedly threatening passersby he encountered. An off-duty National Police officer managed to detain and disarm him.

The incident occurred in the Puerto Marina area early on 6 May, when the emergency services received a call concerning a suspect carrying a knife with a blade of more than 20 centimetres. According to witnesses, at one point the man allegedly entered a hotel.

The National Police tried to locate the suspect, whom witnesses first reported seeing on Avenida Alay. He then allegedly walked towards Plaza Solymar.

According to sources, he threatened some of the passersby on his way. He walked almost two kilometres, eventually reaching Avenida Carlota Alessandri, at the municipal border with Torremolinos.

That was when the suspect crossed paths with an off-duty National Police officer with more than two decades of experience, who quickly grasped the seriousness of the situation.

Witnesses who SUR contacted said that the officer was riding a motorcycle when he intercepted the suspect. After a brief struggle, he managed to restrain him and take the knife from him until the arrival of the units.