'Operation Cage': this is how the alleged hit man involved in deadly shooting in Marbella was captured
Information from eye witnesses to the broad-daylight killing in Puerto Banús were key to the 38-year-old being swiftly arrested by police
The rapid reaction of various police forces on the Costa del Sol was crucial in thwarting the escape of the alleged perpetrator of the fatal shooting that happened Friday in Marbella. They had a key piece of information, which was the number plate of the vehicle used in the escape, obtained thanks to several witnesses who immediately alerted the emergency services to the incident, as SUR has learned.
Thus began 'Operación Jaula', (Operation Cage), in which orders were given to all available patrols of the National Police and Local Police in the area to block all exits before the shooter had time to escape from the town. Marbella was practically locked down with this deployment, as sources close to the case have told SUR.
After just a few minutes, the vehicle was intercepted near one of the accesses to the coastal motorway, near the Real de Zaragoza housing estate. The 38-year-old suspect had no room for manoeuvre before officers proceeded to arrest him.
The fatal shooting happened at around 2.35pm on Calle José Banús, where there are several cafés and restaurants. The sequence of events, according to sources, was as follows: the alleged gunman was travelling in a vehicle and got out of it when he saw his target on the terrace of a shop talking on the phone. He walked about ten metres on foot and, when he was close to the victim, he took out a pistol from the back of his trousers.
He allegedly fired at least half a dozen shots at the other man, a 25-year-old. The latter, seriously wounded, ran to take refuge inside the premises, while the shooter returned to his car and fled. The emergency services were immediately alerted, including by some witnesses who made a mental note of the car's number plate before it sped away from the scene.
Several units of the National Police and Local Police quickly arrived on the scene, as well as an 061 health emergency medical team, who transferred the injured victim to the Costa del Sol Hospital, where he died later in the afternoon.
"It's a miracle I didn't get shot"
"I went to get a coffee, as I always walk along that pavement, and it's a miracle that I didn't get shot because I speeded up my pace", a witness and worker in the area told SUR. He said he was only a few metres away from the perpetrator when he began to fire the shots.
The sound of gunshots quickly spread panic in the area. "People started to run," he said, terrified of being hit by one of the bullets: "It sounded like a very powerful weapon, there were six or seven shots. The perpetrator then fled.
"It's not the first time something like this has happened in the area," said the eye witness, still stunned by the shooting in broad daylight.
