Tourists flee scene as man fires sub-machine gun on Costa del Sol restaurant

This is the horrifying moment that a gun man opened fire on a restaurant in Costa del Sol whilst terrified holidaymakers ran for their lives.

The footage was caught from a nearby window in the Spanish town of Puerto Banus.

Police were last night said to be hunting at least two people, including a man who appeared to have used a sub-machine gun following the dramatic incident.

The moments leading up to the shooting showed two bare-chested men who appear to be tourists fleeing the scene.

The gunman, thought to have got out of a car driven by an accomplice, appeared on the scene.

Local reports said three shots were heard ringing out.

The horrifying incident happened at around 6pm in the vicinity of the Cristamar shopping centre, home to shops, offices, and restaurants.

This comes at a time of year when the town is bustling with tourists from the UK and Ireland.

The shots are said to have been fired into a restaurant which has not been named.

Fortunately no-one was injured or killed.

Solarpix

There have been no reports of any arrests so far.

Unconfirmed reports say the getaway vehicle used in the shooting may be a BMW, which was found gutted nearby.

This isn't the first shooting to have happened in the region in recent months.

On May 17, two men dressed in black entered a cafe in San Pedro Alcantara - a short drive from the scene of this incident - and fired at two others sat on the terrace before fleeing. No-one was injured in the incident.

The car the gunman used as a getaway vehicle, described at the time as a dark blue BMW, was set on fire near the scene.

Also, six British men were held at the start of February following the attempted murders of three Irishmen at a lake called Turtle Lake near Marbella in September last year.

One of the Irish targets, a 24-year-old who has been described as a pal of a Dublin gang boss known as Mr Flashy, was shot in the leg. The other two were unharmed.

Police described the crime at the time as the work of a criminal gang specialising in 'settling scores.'

Solarpix

One of the six Brits detained was an unnamed 32-year-old who was bailed and then held again in April following the death of a doorman who worked at a Costa del Sol resaturant owned by former TOWIE star Elliott Wright.

There is no suggestion at this stage the most recent shooting incident is linked to the tussle at Elliott Wright’s restaurant which led to the doorman's death or the earlier shooting at Turtle Lake.