Surreal, machete-wielding robbery in Mijas bar ends with thief fleeing amid taunts

What was supposed to be a swift, armed robbery using a machete ended up turning into a bizarre and unsettling scene in a bar in the Costa del Sol town of Mijas. A man wearing a motorbike helmet burst into the place, slammed a large knife down on the counter and demanded money in English. Howeve, nothing went as planned. Far from being intimidated, the bartender and two customers reacted with laughter, cracking some jokes and jeering , convinced it was all some huge practical joke . The bewildered thief eventually left empty-handed.

This all went down at La Barraca de la Abuela, a business located in the Las Lagunas area. The incident began around 5pm when the individual entered the premises wearing a black helmet that concealed his face. He walked straight up to the drinks counter, positioning himself between two men who were seated on stools.

That was when he pulled out the machete hidden in his trousers and struck the counter twice with the weapon. He then began demanding money, repeating the phrase " The money , money, money now" several times in English. However, the tension he intended to stir up vanished almost immediately. Neither the employee nor the customers took it for an actual robbery.

All three of them present were convinced that the supposed assailant was actually a regular with whom they had been joking shortly before and who had just left the premises. This misunderstanding proved decisive in the outcome.

One of them, far from backing down, replied sarcastically: "The money now? Should we call the police? " The climate of disbelief was so extreme that the bartender even grabbed the would-be robber's machete and mocked its condition, claiming it was "nicked" and the blade defective.

The scene, more absurd than frightening, ended up breaking the robber's resolve. Unable to assert his authority and overwhelmed by the mockery of those present, he chose to turn tail and leave the premises empty-handed. .

The bar owners later explained that they didn't initially report the incident to police because they didn't think they had been victims of a real robbery. Later, upon learning of a similar incident at a nearby burger joint, they realised it was no joke. The burger place did report the incident to police.

As is often the case with the most unusual incidents, the outcome was a welcome relief from what could have been a much more serious situation. What at first seemed like a joke turned out to be a real attempted robbery , with an armed man ready to steal the day's takings.

The sheer disbelief and cold-headedness of those in the bar thwarted the robbery, but the case also leaves a red flag: behind the almost comical image of the would-be robber's escape lay a clearly risky situation that, by pure chance, ended up with no one being harmed.