Shocking moment elderly driver takes his car hurtling down Rome's iconic Spanish Steps – before saying ‘I got mixed up'
THIS is the bizarre moment a driver takes his car for a spin down the staircase of an iconic landmark in Rome - before claiming he "got mixed up".
The 80-year-old man is under police
investigation
after he drove his Mercedes A-class down the historic Spanish
Steps
in Italy's capital at 4am in the morning on Tuesday.
Advertisement
4
An elderly driver went down a set of historic steps in Rome
4
Firefighters stepped in to remove the car
Credit: AP
4
The man told police he 'got mixed up' while 'on the way to work'
Credit: Polizia Roma Capitale
During questioning, he told police: "I am sorry. I have made a mistake."
The elderly man added that he had got mixed up with his directions on the way to work.
In the gob-smacking footage, the driver is seen cruising along the road in his silver
But things take a turn for the worse when the
Advertisement
READ MORE WORLD NEWS
Bumping along, it slowly descends down a few flights of stairs before making a
Police are then seen approaching the
He was reportedly in a state of confusion when they approached his car.
Local cops said: 'He was uninjured and seemed clear-headed and tested negative for alcohol, but it is strange he claimed he was heading to work at that time of day."
Advertisement
Most read in The US Sun
Exclusive
Latest
Exclusive
They added: "After conducting all necessary checks, the driver was reported to the judicial authorities."
Shocking video also showed the car being hauled off the staircase with a crane.
Shocking moment two brazen cops are caught romping in field propped against their police car in broad daylight clinch
Firefighters stepped in to help the operation and pull the stuck vehicle out of the stairs.
The site was cordoned off and a probe was launched to investigate the man for damaging a national monument.
Advertisement
He driver also tested negative for alcohol and drugs following the peculiar ordeal.
And thankfully, no damage to the steps was recorded.
Destroying or causing significant damage to a landmark such as the Spanish Steps is punishable by up to one year in prison and a hefty fine of over €2,000 (£1,700).
The 18th-century landmark, built in 1726 and offering stunning views across the city, links the Trinità dei Monti church above with the buzzing Piazza di Spagna below.
Advertisement
It is named after the nearby Spanish embassy to the Vatican.
Usually packed with holidaymakers, the staircase was luckily empty at the time of the bizarre accident.
The iconic monument is 95ft long and nearly 300 years old.
4
The area was cordoned off
Credit: AP
Advertisement
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
7 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Billionaire ‘supersperm' donor to leave vast fortune to his 106 children… and he's so rich they'll STILL get £160m each
THE billionaire founder of Telegram has made a new will - splitting his £17bn fortune among his 106 kids. Pavel Durov, 40, says he'll treat all his children equally, whether born via sperm donation or 'naturally'. 5 Pavel Durov is a Russian billionaire entrepreneur and the founder of Telegram Credit: East2West 5 The tech tycoon says he'll split his fortune among his 106 children Credit: East2West 5 Allegedly, three of the six kids that Durov fathered 'naturally' Credit: East2West The self-exiled Russian tycoon Durov said: 'I want them to live like normal people, to build their lives on their own, to learn to trust themselves, to be able to create - not to be dependent on a bank account.' Durov is the founder of Telegram messenger, which is known for its focus on privacy and encrypted messaging and boasts over a billion monthly active users worldwide. Dubbed the Mark Zuckerberg or Elon Musk of Russia, the tech tycoon has an estimated net worth of £17 billion. Read more world news He told the magazine he drafted his will because he feels threatened after refusing to share user data with the secret services of Russia and Western countries. Durov said: 'My work involves risks - defending freedoms earns you many enemies, including within powerful states. 'I want to protect my children, but also the company I created, Telegram. 'I want Telegram to always remain true to the values I stand for.' Most read in The US Sun Discussing his alleged 106 kids, he said: 'I decided that my children will not have access to my fortune until a period of 30 years has passed, starting from today… 'I want to make it clear that I make no distinction between my children: there are those who were conceived naturally, and those born from my sperm donations. 'They are all my children and they will all have the same rights. 'I don't want them to tear each other apart after my death.' 5 Durov with girlfriend Yulia Vavilova Credit: East2West 5 Durov is currently under investigation Credit: East2West Telegram founder Pavel Durov faces four more days of questioning after arrest over 'failing to stop terrorism' on app Durov said he has six children, for whom he is the 'official father, with three different partners. 'The others were born from my anonymous donations. 'The [Russian] clinic where I started donating sperm 15 years ago - to help a friend - told me that over 100 babies have been conceived this way in 12 countries.' He added: 'I have a newborn son - I'm missing his first months. 'He doesn't even have a passport because I wasn't at his birth in Dubai.' Durov is also a French citizen and currently lives in France, where he is under investigation. He was Authorities claimed Telegram's lack of moderation, limited cooperation with When Durov refused to hand over data on Ukrainian protesters to Russian security agencies, he was effectively forced to give up his company and move abroad in 2014. He said the French investigation into his affairs was 'completely absurd', adding, "Just because criminals use our messaging service among many others doesn't make those who run it criminals." He said: 'Telegram staff can't see or read user messages. 'That's why we've never revealed a single private message. 'If a court flags a user ID in a criminal case, we review metadata - IP address, phone number. That's it.' Telegram is widely used by both Russia and Ukrainian sides in the war. What is Telegram? TELEGRAM is a cloud-based instant messaging app that was launched in 2013 by Pavel Durov and his brother Nikolai Durov. Telegram became widely known for its strong emphasis on privacy and security, offering end-to-end encrypted messaging, channels for broadcasting to large audiences, and features including self-destructing messages. Telegram's commitment to privacy has made it popular with users around the world, but it has also attracted criticism from governments, which claim that the app is used by criminals and terrorists to communicate without detection.
The Irish Sun
9 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Horrifying moment off-duty cop chokes ‘phone thief' to death as desperate bystanders beg him to stop
THIS is the terrifying moment a police officer chokes a suspected phone thief to death as onlookers beg him to stop. The 58-year-old Spanish cop was out for dinner with a friend on Tuesday when the alleged thief stole his phone in northeastern Madrid. 5 A police officer was caught pressing on a suspected thief's neck Credit: Not known, clear with picture desk 5 The brutal chokehold killed the man Credit: Not known, clear with picture desk 5 The unnamed cop will appear in court Credit: Not known, clear with picture desk the suspect down the street then slammed him to the ground and held him in a chokehold. In a desperate attempt to stop him from killing the alleged thief, locals are heard calling: "please let him breathe". "You're going to suffocate the guy, man. Let go of his neck," one shouts. Another can be heard saying: "He's not going to run away. Just let him go." Ignoring their pleas, the officer continues to press down on the man's neck before police and paramedics arrived at the scene. But despite medics' attempt at saving him, he was soon pronounced dead after suffering from cardia arrest. Emergency services confirmed in a statement that a 36-year-old man had died of asphyxiation after 30 minutes of attempted resuscitation. Officers arrested the unnamed cop who appeared in court today. Most read in The US Sun The devastating incident has sparked outrage in Spain, with some drawing comparisons to the killing of Sharing their horror online, one person posted: ''I can't breathe.' These were the words George Floyd uttered minutes before his death when a New York police officer killed him by asphyxiation." Cops release CCTV footage in hunt for man after 'attempted rape' of woman in her 30s at cinema Another wrote: "Murdering a person for a simple phone. An off-duty municipal police officer suffocates a person. "This is how the capitalist world is, a telephone is worth more than a person's life. What a disgusting society!" Spain 's progressive party Más Madrid also weighed in, calling the assault a reflection of how "institutional racism" and "abuse of power" are normalized. A spokesperson said: "Two police officers, who were apparently under the influence of alcohol, have murdered a person in Torrejón. T "This reflects how institutional racism and abuse of power are normalized, even outside of working hours. "We demand an immediate investigation into this alleged murder due to asphyxiation caused by a police officer in Torrejón." This isn't the first time a case like this has taken place in Madrid. Read more on the Irish Sun In 2018, protests erupted in the city after a Senegalese vendor was shot dead in the Italian city of Florence. Some 19 protesters and 10 police officers were injured as clashes spread across the city. 5 It's believed the cop was drinking at the time Credit: Not known, clear with picture desk 5 The horrific video was captured by a neighbour Credit: Not known, clear with picture desk
Irish Examiner
11 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Kenyan court sentences men for aiding al-Shabab militants in 2019 hotel attack
A court in Kenya sentenced two men to 30 years in prison for facilitating the 2019 attack on a Nairobi luxury hotel complex that left 21 people dead. The court heard that Hussein Mohamed Abdille Ali and Mohamed Abdi Ali, both Kenyans, sent money and helped acquire fake identification documents for the militants, who died during the attack on the DusitD2 complex. Al-Qaida-linked militant group al-Shabab, based in neighbouring Somalia, claimed responsibility for the daytime attack, one of its deadliest inside Kenya. Hussein Mohamed Abdille Ali sat in the dock at a Nairobi court (Andrew Kasuku/AP) It occurred six years after an attack killed 67 people at Nairobi's Westgate Shopping Mall and four years after an attack killed 147 students at Garissa University in northern Kenya. Al-Shabab has vowed retribution against Kenya for sending troops to Somalia to fight it since 2011, and continues to stage attacks in Somalia and Kenya. Judge Diana Kavedza during her sentencing said the judgment spoke for the survivors who deserve closure. She noted 'one of the most comprehensive counterterrorism investigations in Kenya's history, as law enforcement agencies pursued not only the attackers' immediate associates but also financiers, facilitators and logistical co-ordinators who enabled the attack'. Foreign nationals, including an American and a Briton, were among those killed in the 2019 attack.
