A car mounted the pavement and reportedly zigzagged between drinkers at a Marbella bar, injuring eleven people, residents said.
The driver, who reportedly was with his parents in the car, was arrested yesterday after the chaos.
Spanish police said they had launched an investigation into the terrible accident that caused bystanders to desperately flee for their lives when the vehicle plowed off the road.
All the injured were taken to the Costa del Sol Hospital in Marbella for medical attention, officers added.
Later, Spanish media reported that two injured people had been taken to intensive care in Malaga.
According to official reports, the car collided against a pedestrian area filled with many outdoor restaurants and cafes in the southern Spanish city.
Witnesses told officers that the accident occurred in mid-afternoon when the area is usually full of customers having lunch.
They said the car zigzagged, sweeping away everything in its sight.
Outlet SUR confirmed that the driver had been arrested and reportedly suffered from mental health problems.
A cafe-bar worker said police and ambulance had rushed to the scene after emergency calls.
“People were screaming and shouting and there was a lot of bystanders running in every direction because at first no-one really knew what was going on and whether it was a terrorist attack,” she added.
The woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said some people jumped on the driver before police reached him and held him up as officers arrived.
She also said that she had seen an older man and woman getting out of the vehicle, which she described as a white Suzuki SX4.
A spokesman for the Spanish National Police confirmed Monday afternoon that national and local agents employed by the city council had initiated an inquiry to clarify the accident’s causes.
On Monday night, an update added: “With regards to the incident this afternoon in Miguel Cano Avenue in Marbella, we can confirm the arrest of the driver of the vehicle.”
Police also said the man had been identified as a 30-year-old Spaniard and stated that a terrorist motive had been ruled out as the terrible incident’s cause.
Sources informed that authorities were also investigating whether the driver suffered from psychiatric illness.
