Police fired on in island hold-up

Police came under fire in Pont D'Inca yesterday when they foiled a petrol station armed robbery. The suspect, armed with a sawn-off shotgun and wearing a ski mask, was spotted by a routine Marratxi Local Police patrol in the early hours of the morning. The armed robber, believed to be responsible for two recent petrol station hold-ups, fled the scene as soon as he spotted the police, opening fire on his pursuers. The two officers called for back up, but the robber escaped empty-handed across the railway tracks, giving police the slip.