A 71-year-old taxi driver on Mallorca was brutally assaulted by a group of German tourists, who allegedly include police officers. The incident, which left the driver with severe injuries, has sparked outrage.
The attack occurred during the night from Monday to Tuesday at Playa de Palma, where the 71-year-old taxi driver was working a night shift. He told the Mallorca Zeitung that a group of seven Germans had booked two taxis. Three of them rode in his taxi, with two being heavily intoxicated. After dropping them off at their hotel, one of the passengers noticed his phone was missing. The group frantically searched the taxi, leading the driver to believe the phone contained crucial information.
When the phone couldn’t be found, the tourists accused the driver of theft and demanded he call the police. When the police didn’t arrive, they began beating and kicking the driver. “I begged them to stop, but it was no use,” the driver recounted. The tourists allegedly claimed they were police officers, flashing their IDs in his face.
A narrow escape and plea for justice
The situation escalated as the tourists reportedly forced the driver back into his car, intending to release the brake and let the car roll down a slope, potentially staging an accident. At that moment, the Guardia Civil arrived, which the driver believes saved his life. One of the attackers allegedly tried to bribe both the driver and the police to avoid charges, but the driver refused, demanding legal justice instead.
The Mallorcan taxi driver is now in the hospital with a broken left arm, two fractured ribs, a black eye, and a large bruise on his leg. “I thought they were going to kill me,” he told the Mallorca Zeitung. Before this incident, he had never had problems with German tourists on the island, but now he says, “I don’t even want to see them on the beach.”
Aftermath and ongoing investigation
According to the driver’s son, the German tourists were brought before a judge but were released without bail or conditions due to their status as police officers, which supposedly negated any flight risk. They returned to Germany on Wednesday, though official confirmation of this is pending. The son also mentioned that before leaving, the tourists were seen lounging by the pool as if nothing had happened. The Guardia Civil later reported that the missing phone was found in a friend’s bag.
