Exclusive
HAIL OF BULLETS
Moment Benidorm tourists flee while gunshots rings out as Brit clubber is shot in the bum on busy nightclub strip
The 42-year-old Brit tourist is thought to be an innocent holidaymaker and was wounded on the buttocks
HORRIFYING footage has shown the moment panicked holidaymakers fled a busy Benidorm strip as shots rang out in the tourist hotspot last night.
A 42-year-old British tourist was shot in the bottom as he got caught in the gangland crossfire at the popular Costa Blanca destination.
8
In the footage, holidaymakers can be heard screaming and sprinting across the strip before running for cover as four loud gunshots are heard.
Earlier today, witnesses revealed the moment the unnamed Brit tourist was shot in the bottom on Mallorca Street as they were placed on lockdown at a nearby pub in the Little England area of the resort.
Holidaymaker Timothy Ball told The Sun Online he and his friends saw the shooting as it happened in front of the Hippodrome disco-bar.
The 24-year-old from Stoke-on-Trent said: "We saw everything. We were inside the pub and at the bottom of the strip, and two or three lads were getting chased up and others were throwing bottles and chairs at them.
"Next thing we hear bang bang bang bang, it was four or five gunshots.";
8
8
He said the British tourist - who was injured in the incident and thought to be in the wrong place at the wrong time - was carried away by two men.
"Two guys carried him to the bottom of the strip, he'd definitely been hurt. We saw another guy who had a cut on his arm, like something shot past him."
Jacob Armstrong, a friend of Mr Ball, said the gunman "fired shots straight down the strip".
"I don't even think he was aiming at anyone in particular. The British guy got hit, and then pulled himself up onto a bench.
"He was shot in the backside, and two lads came out of the pub and carried him down to first aid."
8
8
8
He continued: "There were people running, including bystanders and holidaymakers caught up in the crowd, as a gang got out of a BMW and chased after the guys. Then a guy pulled out a gun - and he was just firing shots."
Mr Ball said bouncers from nearby clubs attempted to calm the panicked crowds before police arrived.
"The police came quickly, maybe two or three minutes. The club we were in was where it happened so they taped it off and moved everyone out of it. There was police everywhere.
"It was a bit scary with everything going on, you hear gunshots now you don't think it's some idiot, you think what if someone is shooting innocent people."
8
Singer Shayne Ward's brother Martin Ward was also reportedly caught up in the shooting.
According to, he posted on Facebook: "Right where to start… I’m ready to go on stage only for gunshots and complete mayhem… 8 guys run passed then what seems every bouncer from the square chasing them... bmw getting slashed then towed.. armed police chargin around… guns have no place in life… as mad as the square is this is another level..heart goes out to the innocent holiday makers injured in this stupid incident.. but will be back to the same routine tomo (sic)."
He later told the paper: "While the incident was undoubtedly scary, Benidorm is my home – it’s a very safe place to live and to holiday in.
"This incident should not tar what is a wonderful place to live, work and holiday. I’ve been in Benidorm for 16 months and Majorca before this – this is an isolated incident; it’s unheard of."
Emergency services swarm Benidorm as incident in nightclub leaves two injured
Detectives said today the 42-year-old British tourist had suffered a superficial wound to his bottom that could have been from a ricochet bullet and would be questioned as part of the criminal inquiry.
A well-placed source said: “He was here temporarily and had planned to fly back home on Saturday and we think at this stage he is simply a tourist who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Two other men were hurt in the shooting around 11pm last night.
A Moroccan man suffered a superficial wound and a third man believed to be of Arab origin was hit by a bullet, although his injuries were not described as serious.
8
Spanish National Police said this morning they were hunting four men who abandoned a BMW at the scene before fleeing in a taxi.
A spokesman for the force confirmed: “No arrests have been made so far. Three men were hurt including a Brit but none seriously.”
A well-placed source said: “Witnesses have not said there was a row or fight prior to the shooting.
“One of the theories we are looking at is this was a settling of scores linked to drug dealing."
The source continued: “The BMW car the gunmen arrived in was abandoned at the scene and is now in a police pound so it can be examined by forensic experts.
“The men police are hunting fled the scene in a taxi. They could be of Arabic origin or eastern European origin.”
MOST READ IN WORLD NEWS
The getaway car is understood to be a foreign-plated vehicle.
The street where the shooting happened - Mallorca Street - is in the heart of Little England, and the Hippodrome disco-pub is popular with Brit tourists and expats.
There is no suggestion the shooting was in any way linked to the nightspot.
Holidaymaker Kim Kemp wrote on Twitter: “First night in Benidorm and witnessed a shooting. F*** sake. What a start to a holiday.”
Scot Barrie Murray added: “Sitting in a bar in Benidorm. Next minute doing a runner after a supposed double shooting.”
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368 . You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.