Alhaurin el Grande residents reacted with shock after a hooded man threatened a boy under 14 with a knife moments after school finished on Friday, June 12.

Attack takes place near secondary school.

Witness accounts describe how the youngster walked with friends before stepping aside into a dirt clearing behind pizzeria La Fogata, a spot locals neighbours use as a car park. A hooded assailant approached, produced a blade and demanded the mobile phone of the child.

When the boy explained he carried none, the attacker slashed his shirt, yanked the collar and ordered him to empty his backpack. The child produced only a ruler and calculator. Frustrated, the man snapped the ruler and hurled the calculator to the ground before telling the youngster to run.

Boy takes shelter in local supermarket

The terrified schoolboy sprinted to the Coviran supermarket in the nearby. Staff there noticed his slashed shirt and shaking hands. One employee phoned his mother at 15.19, just minutes after classes ended at three o’clock.

Supermarket workers helped calm the child, and a colleague escorted him home. Upon arrival the boy remained in deep shock, distressed about his damaged clothing and ruined school items. His mother checked for injuries and then took him straight to local police, who referred the case to the Guardia Civil.

Investigation proceeds with no arrests so far

Guardia Civil officers confirmed receipt of the formal complaint and confirmed active enquiries are carrying on without any detentions so far. The mother also posted details in a local Facebook group, where the account gathered hundreds of reactions, many comments and repeated shares. Her message thanked supermarket staff and urged families to increase supervision of children in the area.

Rising concerns in a formerly safe community

This incident adds to growing worries in Alhaurin el Grande, long regarded as a tranquil and extremely safe spot ideal for children and older residents in Malaga province. Recent months brought reports of more robberies, with word circulating that individuals previously displaced from Coin by police have settled in nearby Alhaurin, and now target this unsuspecting community.

Earlier this year a British pensioner lost €6,000 in cash, withdrawn for her husband’s Alzheimer’s care home deposit, when a thief snatched an envelope from her bag inside a local bakery. Such events mark a noticeable change in a place once viewed as almost crime-free.

Local calls intensify for greater security near schools as families process this latest event.