A traffic stop in Malta ended with a 40-year-old Albanian man being hospitalized in critical condition after he allegedly swallowed drugs while trying to evade arrest.
The Malta Independent reports that the incident took place on Sunday at approximately 11:00 a.m. on Triq il-Ħalel in St. Paul’s Bay.
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Police stopped the car because neither the driver nor the passenger was wearing a seat belt. During a search of the passenger, the 40-year-old Albanian man, officers found brass knuckles and a substance suspected to be drugs.
When officers tried to handcuff him, he resisted and attempted to flee. He is suspected of swallowing some of the drugs during the physical struggle with officers.
After he was taken to Mater Dei Hospital, his condition was determined to be life-threatening.
The driver, another Albanian national, aged 42, also attempted to flee. However, officers managed to catch and arrest him.
A female police sergeant suffered minor injuries during the incident and received medical treatment at a health center.
Items seized by police also included two knives and a considerable quantity of suspected cocaine. The exact amount of drugs seized has not been disclosed.
Maltese authorities are continuing their investigation to establish the full circumstances of the incident.
