Update 3: Man run over in St Paul's Bay - driver claims he had a gun

A Tunisian man, who is well known to the police, was run over while standing on a pavement in St Paul’s Bay last night, by an individual who claimed the victim had a gun.

Said Bouslama, 44, who has been living in Malta since 1993, was run over at about 9 p.m. along St Paul’s Bay’s main thoroughfare, Mosta Road. He is in a serious condition but is not critical, the police said late last night.

He was standing on a pavement, talking to another man, also likely to be of Arab descent, when a red Seat Ibiza suddenly raced in their direction, according to a man who witnessed the scene.

One of them managed to move to one side, leaving Mr Bouslama to take the full impact of the crash.

“He was catapulted into the air and landed five metres away from where he was standing,” the witness told The Times. “Somehow, he stood up, clearly in shock but then fell back on the road.” The police said the victim was rushed to hospital with a gaping wound to the right leg, from which he was bleeding profusely.

The driver of the car, a 35-year-old, who also resides on the island emerged from the vehicle yelling that the victim on the ground had a gun and called for the police. In the meantime, the man who was previously seen with Mr Bouslama fled the scene, according to the eyewitness.

The witness could not say if Mr Bouslama had a gun or whether he threatened the people in the Seat with it but he ruled out that any shot had been fired.

The police did not find a weapon, despite searching thoroughly around the scene of the accident, including in Mr Bouslama’s Pajero, which was parked nearby and some skips and rubbish bags.

However, they did find a piece of wood which resembles the handle of a gun – a piece of evidence which yesterday evening set police looking for the fourth man on the scene.

The driver of the car and his passenger in the Seat were arrested but their names or nationalities were not disclosed. The police only said that all the people involved were Arab.