Shots fired from a car on the AP-7 motorway near Estepona as the driver fled towards Marbella

No one was injured but the incident adds to a pattern of gun-related violence that has been troubling the Costa del Sol

Another firearms incident on the Costa del Sol, this time on one of the region's busiest motorways. Shortly after 12.30am on Sunday, the 112 Andalucía emergency coordination centre received two calls reporting shots being fired from a vehicle on the AP-7, near kilometre 151 in the municipality of Estepona. Callers also reported a collision in the same area.

Emergency services were dispatched and both the Guardia Civil Traffic Unit and the Policía Nacional were notified. The vehicle involved, described as a high-end Audi Q8, fled in the direction of Marbella. A Marbella Policía Local patrol attempted to intercept the driver but was unable to stop him. No injuries were reported.

The incident adds to a growing number of gun-related incidents along this stretch of coastline. A shooting at a Costa del Sol bar left a British victim earlier this year, and a suspect was subsequently arrested in Liverpool in connection with that case.

Sunday's motorway incident is also not the first firearm-related event in Estepona in recent weeks, though police have confirmed the two are unrelated. Just ten days earlier, warning shots were fired into the air during the arrest of two suspects caught breaking into vehicles in the town.

The pair, a man and a woman both aged 52, were detained by the Policía Nacional on suspicion of involvement in multiple car break-ins and for assaulting officers. During the arrest, the male suspect attempted to attack one of the officers with a knife before shots were fired into the air as a warning measure. No one was hurt in that incident either.

The question of who or what was being targeted in Sunday's motorway shooting remains unanswered. Police have not yet identified the driver or established a clear motive, and no arrests have been made in connection with the incident.

It is one more episode in what has been a difficult period for the Costa del Sol in terms of serious crime, and one that will do little to ease concerns about security in the area.

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