BAHRA, 2 March — Police here arrested a drug addict who gunned down five members of his family, including his elderly mother and two younger sisters, on Thursday.

The 30-year-old man, who was under the influence of drugs, held members of his family captive at gunpoint in their house in Bahra, some 30 kilometers south of Jeddah, at around 10 a.m. on Thursday following a quarrel over his addiction.

Maj. Gen. Saeed Al-Qahtani, director of police in the Makkah region, told Arab News that the frenzied youth first shot his uncle, who got into the house in the hope of pacifying him, with an assault rifle.

“When his uncle tried to intervene in the quarrel, he shot him dead. Neighbors said they had heard several gunshots inside the house after that,” he said.

Police then stormed the house where the man barricaded himself and wounded him in an exchange of fire before arresting him.

Al-Qahtani said the man killed his elderly mother, his stepmother, and two of his sisters after breaking open their room. His father had died some 12 years ago.

The man reportedly shot his family members after he found that a big police force had surrounded the house.

“The youth’s behavior was abnormal and we thought it was dangerous to leave him with a live weapon, so officers from the special force stormed the house,” Qahtani said.

The youth was injured on the right side of his stomach in a shootout that ensued. He was immediately taken to the King Khaled National Guard Hospital.

A large number of people in Bahra gathered near the ill-fated house after hearing the shocking news.

Neighbors said the man held his family members captive at about 10 a.m. on Thursday, threatening to kill them. They said they had heard cries of women calling for help.

Witnesses said the man had also fired three shots at his brother who escaped unhurt. “We saw the youth’s uncle getting out of his car and going toward the house in an effort to pacify his nephew, but he was gunned down,” they added.

They said the youth went wild when he discovered that the police had surrounded the house.

“He then opened fire on everybody inside. It was then that the police stormed the house,” they said.

Medical sources at the King Khaled National Guard Hospital said the condition of the youth, who was admitted to the intensive care unit, was stable.

Family sources said the man was a confirmed drug addict. They said his relatives had taken him for treatment at rehabilitation centers several times.

Muhammad Alauddin Al-Showly, a psychiatrist, said given that the youth was a drug addict, there was nothing surprising in his behavior.

“This is one of the worst examples of the dangerous effects of drug abuse,” he added.

Last year a Saudi man killed 11 members of his family in Jeddah under the influence of drugs.

Maj. Gen. Qahtani urged parents to keep a close watch on their children to make sure that they do not use drugs. “They should also inform the police about drug traffickers to protect society from this scourge,” he added.