The two defendants in the "wheelie video" on the Arrecife ring road have finally been acquitted. The Prosecutor's Office was requesting 2 years in prison and 6 years of driving license withdrawal for Oriol Suárez and Manuel Salces, but the ruling of the Criminal Court Number 1 of Arrecife considers that during the trial it was not proven that they were the perpetrators of a crime against road safety.
During the hearing, held on November 25, the lawyers of Suárez and Salces had requested acquittal for both. In the case of Suárez, he admitted to being the driver of the car from which the video was recorded and acknowledged speeding, but not reckless driving. In addition, he said he regretted exceeding the established limit. His lawyer, Tomás Silvera, pointed out in the conclusions that his client's fault should be considered in any case an "administrative offense".
As for Salces, from the first moment he denied being the one driving the motorcycle. His lawyer also spoke in this same sense to request his acquittal during the hearing. "It is incredible to identify my client," he said, recalling that "at no time" was he identified by the license plate or because he was recognized in the images, in which the motorcyclist was wearing a helmet.
The video shows a motorcyclist riding on the Arrecife ring road at full speed, raised on one wheel. Meanwhile, a car follows him and films the maneuver. The video began to spread through social networks and thus reached the hands of the Local Police and the Civil Guard. According to the investigation by the Arrecife agents, the motorcycle reached 160 kilometers per hour and the car, 180.