Eyewitness says terrorist appeared to be on drugs ‘going up and down the street, ranting and raving’
A British judo coach who watched Spanish officers gun down a terrorist suspect in the street described how the crazed attacker taunted police and appeared to be “on some sort of drugs”.
Fitzroy Davies, from Wolverhampton, was in the seaside resort of Cambrils when a second atrocity unfolded nearby, following an earlier attack in central Barcelona.
Police have so far confirmed 14 people died and dozens were injured in the combined attacks.
Mr Davies, who had been staying in the area for a judo conference, told Sky News witnessing the dramatic scenes was like watching a “horror film”.
He said: “He was just
going up and down the street, like ranting, raving and he was – I don’t know if he was all the ticket, I don’t know because he was just going up and down.
“And then when he took the first round of shots he fell on the floor, and then within two seconds, I thought I was watching a film, one of them horror films, the guy just stood up. Just stood up, got back up, walked over the fence and started laughing at the police.
“And as he started laughing at the police, he was walking to them and the police started to step backwards and then they shot him again.
“And that’s when he went down.”
Despite the fleeing crowds, Mr Davies stayed at the scene to film as officers swooped in no the attacker.
He said: “It was a bit crazy of me, but it was adrenaline, I think.
“It was only afterwards when one of the other guys said ‘Fitz! Fitz! Come on! Let’s go, let’s go!’ – that’s when I put the phone down and went.
His mobile footage appeared to show officers aiming at the attacker as he paced up and down a seafront boulevard, before crossing a roadside barrier in front of the police vehicle, where he collapsed.
Mr Davies described the haunting quality of seeing the incident at close quarters.
He said: “You watch TV and you watch things on TV, you don’t expect to go out and see it. It’s a shock.
“It’s a shock now, coming back and seeing it.
“The part that haunts me is how he stood up. It’s like, I thought I was watching a film, the guy just fell on the floor and then just came back up.
“He must have been on some sort of drugs, or adrenaline, to get so many shots and then to get back up.”
Mr Davies told Sky that one of his associates at the camp was “slightly injured” after a bullet “ricocheted”, but said he was thankful nobody else had been injured in his group.
Mr Davies said the terrorist appeared to be holding some kind of device, to give the impression he was armed.
“I think it did its job,” Mr Davies said.
“It made everyone fearful. And I think that’s what they were looking for.
“He had something in his hand and at first everybody kept on thinking he’s got something. And that’s why everybody was running.”
Spanish authorities later confirmed that the five attackers involved in the Cambrils incident had been wearing fake suicide belts, in a chilling echo of the London Bridge attacks in June.