A British woman was decapitated in a Spanish supermarket on the Canary Islands in Los Cristianos by a deranged homeless man who was well known in the area.

The random attack happened on Friday at 10:30am in public. Tourists witnessed the man steal a machete then behead the 62 year old female tourist. What was more disturbing was the man picked up the severed head and ran out of the store with it.

As security chased him down, he threw the head onto the pavement before being detained. Bystanders were in shock as the madman ran down the street, chased by security guards and a motorcyclist. According to an eye witness who was parking his vehicle outside the supermarket, the man ran out with something bloody in his hands.

The security guards chased him and threw him to the floor and overpowered him,” the eye witness said.

“They were queueing up and basically trying to kick the hell out of the guy. The place was a madhouse,” said another eye witness.

The gruesome killing is believed to be a random act without motive or malice. The killer, a Bulgarian man, was identified as 28 year old Deyan Valentinov D. He has a criminal record and is being held for murder charges.