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Barcelona police shoot at man driving lorry loaded with butane gas tanks at high speed against traffic Barcelona police shoot at man driving lorry loaded with butane gas tanks at high speed against traffic
(about 2 hours later)
Police shot at a man who stole a lorry carrying butane gas and drove it at high speed against traffic, ramming several cars on a city highway. Police have shot at a man who stole a lorry carrying butane gas cannisters and drove it at high speed the wrong way down a motorway in Barcelona.
Police started chasing the truck after the driver failed to obey orders to stop from agents who had seen it driving at high speed and dropping part of its load around 11am, regional police chief Joan Carles Molinero said. Officers started chasing the vehicle after the driver failed to obey orders to stop after it started speeding erratically and dropping part of its load around 11am, police said.
During the chase that ensued, the driver took a turn near the city's famous harbour and drove against traffic and into a highway exit where several cars were hit. During the chase that ensued, the driver took a turn near the Spanish city's famous harbour and drove against traffic and into a motorway exit where several cars were hit.
It finally stopped when it crashed against one of the highway's walls.  It finally stopped after crashing into a concrete barrier on the Ronda Litoral.
The suspect, identified by local media as Swedish citizen Joakim Robin Berggren, is being questioned at a regional hospital where he was sent for a medical checkup, Mr Molinero said.  A recent terror plot involving gas cylinders in France and the use of lorries by Isis-inspired attackers in Nice and Berlin sparked initial fears of a new attack but the possibility was ruled out by investigators.
The man was suffering psychiatric problems and not attempting a terror attack, the government said. Juan Ignacio Zoido, Spain’s interior minister, tweeted that the detained driver had a history of mental illness, adding: “It was not a terrorist act.”
"The detained driver of the stolen butane gas truck has a psychiatric history. It was not a case of a terrorist act," the Interior Ministry said in tweet. Spain’s department of national security also said terrorism had been ruled out as a motive.
About half the butane bottles were flung from the stolen truck as the man sped against the flow of traffic on the Ronda Litoral highway while he was closely pursued by police, the local police said at a press conference. “The perpetrator, of Swedish nationality and who did not carry any weapons, was arrested by agents of the Mossos d'Esquadra and the Guardia Urbana,” a spokesperson added. 
A Brazilian woman suffered a leg injury when she was hit by one of several butane gas tanks that fell off the truck as the man tried to escape. The suspect, identified by local media as 32-year-old Joakim Robin Berggren, is being questioned at a regional hospital where he was sent for a medical assessment. 
"At the moment we have no indication whatsoever that he was planning a terrorist attack," Mr Molinero said. About half the butane bottles were flung from the stolen truck as the man sped against the flow of traffic while being closely pursued by police, the local police said at a press conference.
He added that police were investigating the man and searching the place where he lived. A Brazilian woman suffered a leg injury when she was hit by one of several butane cannisters.
"We are working on the possibility that it could be a person with psychological imbalances or who has consumed substances. “We are working on the possibility that it could be a person with psychological imbalances or who has consumed substances,” regional police chief Joan Carles Molinero said.
Spain has kept its national security alert to one step below maximum since July 2015, following violent attacks across Europe. "At the moment, we have no indication whatsoever that he was planning a terrorist attack."
Spain has kept its national security alert to one step below maximum since July 2015, following a series of terror attacks in neighbouring France and across Europe.
Additional reporting by agencies