The Civil Guard arrested a man on April 12 accused of a crime of damage and another of robbery with violence and intimidation for causing a fire in a vehicle valued at 45,000 euros. As reported by the Armed Institute in a statement, the detainee is 31 years old and has a history of similar events.
The vehicle "was completely burned", but in addition, the detainee would have committed a violent mobile phone theft two days later in Puerto del Carmen.
According to the Civil Guard, the authority became aware of the events during the early hours of April 8, when they received a notice from the emergency services about the fire of a vehicle in a street in the municipality of Tías.
The investigators appeared at the scene, locating the owner and an eyewitness to the events in the vicinity, who had given the notice to the emergency services. The agents interviewed the eyewitness, who provided details and fundamental information about the execution of the crime and the escape of the perpetrators.
The Civil Guard agents, with the information gathered, carried out the relevant investigations and inquiries, thus initiating an investigation based on carrying out the technical ocular inspection, analyzing the modus operandi. After them, they were able to verify how, indicatively, the damage caused by the fire could be intentional.
After a "thorough" viewing of video surveillance cameras, the agents concluded that the witness had given a "false version, given in order to deceive the agents." According to the Armed Institute, the caller himself had allegedly been captured, carrying out the burning and later returning to a holiday apartment very close to the fire area and in which he was registered.
As the checks continued, the Civil Guard is aware that two days after this event, the same individual was located in the early hours of the morning in the town of Puerto del Carmen carrying an empty fuel canister, all this, together with the fact that he has a police record for intentional fires.
The same man entered a holiday apartment where two foreign tourists, who were minors, were staying, being surprised by them, at which point the individual, after asking them for money in English, took out a knife of about 25 centimeters with intimidating intent, placing it on the body of one of the minors, causing her to scream, at which point the individual fled running.
Likewise, thanks to the testimonies of the complainants, the security recordings obtained in that case, together with the investigations that had already been carried out in relation to the fire, it was possible to identify the possible perpetrator of the criminal offense, who was the same person who had caused the fire.
Finally, the individual was arrested, who was placed at the disposal of the courts of Arrecife, ordering his entry into pre-trial detention. For more details, you can contact the Press Office of the Command of the Civil Guard of Las Palmas, contact telephone number 928320400, extension 1610181/82.