An ‘agitated’ man, involved in a frenzied run in the early hours of Wednesday morning, was granted bail on Thursday after pleading not guilty to a raft of charges stemming from the incident.

Jason Attard, a 45-year old St Venera storer, caused quite a commotion when he allegedly barged into a Balzan hotel, making queries about someone who apparently was his ex-partner.

The man, in an evidently agitated and panicked state, grabbed the mobile phone of a hotel employee and ran out.

He drove off along Birbal Street before suddenly hitting the brakes.

A woman who happened to be driving right behind him while her 16-year old daughter slept in the back seat, got "the fright of her life" when the agitated man approached her vehicle and tried to force her out of the car.

She managed to fend him off and he left the scene.

Police finally managed to track down the suspect some time later. 

The man was arrested and arraigned over a raft of charges linked to Wednesday’s early morning episode that allegedly took place between 2:55am and 3:30am.

The man pleaded not guilty to stealing an iPhone 7, assaulting one of the women, causing them to fear violence, breaching the peace, as well as driving under the influence of drink or drugs.

He was further charged with allegedly breaching previous bail conditions.

A request for bail was upheld after the court, presided over by magistrate Joseph Mifsud, heard submissions by both parties and noted that the accused’s criminal record showed a conviction dating back to 2013.

The man was ordered to sign the bail book three times weekly, to abide by a curfew between 10:00pm and 6:00am, to deposit €500, and provide a personal guarantee of €2,500.

Inspector Christabelle Chetcuti prosecuted.

Lawyers Kris Busietta and Julian Farrugia were defence counsel.