Two Civil Guard officers shot and wounded after chase near Terrassa

Two Civil Guard officers were wounded in a shootout in Terrassa, near Barcelona, on the night of 1 October after chasing a group of suspected thieves, Spanish newspapers El Mundo, La Vanguardia and El País reported. Both officers were taken to hospital; one, who was hit by four rounds, was in serious but stable condition and not considered to be in danger, according to sources close to the case cited by El Mundo.

The officers had been following a group of 'teloneros', a term used in Spain for gangs that target lorries and other vehicles on motorways, near the AP-7 highway, when a pursuit began, according to Crónica Global as cited by El Mundo and La Vanguardia. The chase moved from the road into the town, ending violently in the Can Perallada neighbourhood in southern Terrassa, where the suspects opened fire on the patrol.

Catalonia's Mossos d'Esquadra police force took over the case and confirmed an active incident in the area, without giving further details, La Vanguardia reported. Mossos d'Esquadra deployed a large operation to the area following the shooting, and several units from the force were sent to the scene as the force's Criminal Investigation Division opened an inquiry, El Mundo and La Vanguardia reported. The division arrested three people overnight in connection with the shooting, according to the Catalan news agency ACN, cited by La Vanguardia.

It is the first serious shooting in Catalonia to directly target police officers after several firearms incidents in the region in recent months, El Mundo reported. Firearms incidents in Catalonia rose by up to 45% between January and June, leaving six dead and around twenty injured, according to the latest official count for the first half of 2026 cited by the newspaper. The exact circumstances that led the suspects to open fire during the chase have not been disclosed by police.