Police officers in Imġarr pointed firearms at a driver before arresting him after he allegedly failed to stop when ordered to do so, according to footage published by Newsbook Malta and a police statement.
The account is specific on sequence, if not on everything else. Police said officers on patrol saw a vehicle being driven dangerously, activated their blue lights and repeatedly instructed the driver to pull over. They said he continued driving for several minutes before the car was brought to a halt.
Footage sent to Newsbook shows officers taking cover behind a vehicle door and ordering the man to get out with his hands visible, then approach slowly. Police said the firearms were drawn in line with procedure, were not discharged and were holstered once the area was secured.
The driver was then arrested. Police told Newsbook he was found to have been driving under the influence of alcohol and that charges would be filed.
What the police have not set out, at least in the material published so far, is whether the driver was injured, what specific offences will be charged beyond drink driving, or whether the dangerous driving allegation is based only on the officers’ account or supported by additional evidence such as dashcam footage.
That matters because a stop at gunpoint is not routine language for a traffic case, even if the police present it as a procedural escalation during a non-compliant stop. The visible fact is that officers judged the risk high enough to draw weapons. The unresolved part is what, beyond the refusal to stop, led them there.
Gabriel Fenech 
Harvey Jr. 
Marcus Azzopardi