The police in the city of Granada had to fire shots into the air to deter a crowd from lynching a reckless driver.

The driver had caused chaos and panic when he sped the wrong way down Calle Matías near the Gran Vía, – at that hour it was lined with New-Year revellers.

The car finally crashed at the end of Calle Moras; one of the busiest for pedestrians on any festive or weekend night of the year.

The car, which was being pursed by patrol cars from both the Policía Nacional and the Policía Local, smashed to a halt and it was at that moment that the crowd surged forward with definite intent to do the driver harm, because the impact had injured three pedestrians.

It was an ugly moment because there were around 50 people there when the car knocked over a young woman before crashing. However, four shots rang out and the crowd moved back away from the car.

He was promptly arrested and driven away in a patrol car, which was a pity, of course…

(News: Metropolitan Area, Granada, Andalucia)