Mossos Fire After Stolen Car Rams Vehicle

Mossos d'Esquadra officers opened fire after the occupants of a stolen car rammed a police vehicle in Badalona late on Friday, according to Catalan media reports and video published on Saturday. The confrontation took place at about 11:30 p.m. at a service station on Avinguda del Conflent, near the B-20 ring road and the Montigalà commercial area. Reports said officers had identified the car as stolen and moved to stop it before the driver accelerated into a Mossos vehicle. Authorities had not publicly confirmed any injuries as of Saturday, and the police response remained under investigation. ### Where did the confrontation happen? Badalona was the site of the incident, with reports placing it at a petrol station on Avinguda del Conflent beside the B-20 and near the Montigalà shopping area. El Periódico and other outlets said the encounter unfolded after a patrol circulating in the area located a car listed as stolen. (elperiodico.com) The service station appears to be next to the Esclat supermarket complex, according to video references and local reporting. Footage circulated online and in news reports shows a marked Mossos vehicle at the station as the stolen car tries to break away. ### Why did officers approach the vehicle? A stolen BMW was the vehicle officers moved in on, according to reports published on Saturday. (elperiodico.com) Diari Catalunya said police suspected the car could be linked to a group specializing in thefts from vehicles, though that possible connection had not been publicly confirmed by Mossos in a formal statement. (elperiodico.com) El Periódico reported that a patrol spotted the car and ordered it to stop after confirming it appeared in police systems as stolen. That set up the confrontation at the station rather than a routine traffic stop elsewhere on the road. ### What happened when the car tried to leave? The occupants of the stolen car rammed a Mossos vehicle as they tried to flee, according to the reports. (diaricatalunya.cat) El Periódico said the impact came after officers gave the vehicle the order to stop. Several shots were then fired by officers, according to media accounts and video published by El Periódico. (elperiodico.com) One English-language report said an officer discharged a firearm toward the car as it drove off from the petrol station. None of the reports reviewed identified a public statement from Mossos specifying how many officers fired or how many rounds were discharged. ### Was anyone hurt or arrested? No injuries had been publicly confirmed by Saturday in the reports reviewed. The preliminary accounts focused on the vehicle impact, the gunfire and the escape from the station, but did not include a confirmed casualty count from Mossos or emergency services. One local report said the episode ended with an arrest after the escape, but the available accounts were not consistent on timing or on how many suspects were later detained. (elperiodico.com) Because Mossos had not published a detailed public account in the sources reviewed, that part of the sequence remains only partially verified. ### What is known about the investigation now? (elperiodico.com) Mossos d'Esquadra are investigating the incident, according to the reports published on May 23. El Periódico said investigators were reviewing footage and witness statements after the shooting. Catalan police shootings are typically subject to internal review, especially when firearms are discharged during an attempted arrest, but no formal findings had been published in the sources reviewed by Saturday. (diaricatalunya.cat) The immediate public record so far is made up mainly of media reports, video and initial descriptions of the police stop. (elperiodico.com) May 24 is likely to bring further detail from Mossos, the Badalona courts or local officials if arrests, injuries or ballistic findings are formally confirmed. Any next official update is expected to come through Mossos d'Esquadra or judicial authorities handling the case. (elperiodico.com)