Man arrested in Elche after armed robbery of tobacco shop with knife
The National Police have arrested a 33-year-old man accused of assaulting a tobacco shop in Elche with a large knife. The suspect threatened an employee and stole 1,800 euros from the cash register.
Armed robbery at Elche shop
According to El Confidencial, officers from the National Police arrested a 33-year-old man in Elche for a crime of robbery with violence and intimidation at a tobacco shop in the Alicante municipality. The suspect was carrying a large knife with which he threatened an employee of the establishment to obtain 1,800 euros from the cash register.
The incident occurred in early October, around two o'clock in the afternoon. The attacker entered the shop wielding the weapon in a threatening manner, shouting at the manager to open the cash register. The victim, fearing for her physical safety, stepped away from the counter and allowed the robber to access the money whilst continuing to be threatened with the knife.
After managing to open the cash register and taking the money, the man fled the premises. The complainant filed a report at the Elche police station a few days after the incident, providing officers with details about the physical characteristics of the perpetrator.
Investigation and arrest
Judicial Police officers quickly linked the suspect to the incident after verifying that he matched the profile of a man known from previous investigations. According to a statement from Police Headquarters, the suspect had been involved in incidents of similar characteristics on other occasions in the municipality, including a robbery committed a week earlier.
Investigators established search operations in the vicinity of places frequented by the suspect. His location and arrest took place just days after the report was filed, confirming his status as the presumed perpetrator of the incident.
Expulsion from national territory
Following police procedures for the tobacco shop robbery, an order for expulsion from national territory that was in effect against the detainee was executed. The ruling had previously been issued by the Alicante Provincial Court. The legal execution procedures were carried out by officers from the Local Brigade for Foreigners and Borders of the National Police at the Elche police station.
Source: El Confidencial