Three arrested for mugging minors in Barcelona with imitation pistol
The Mossos d'Esquadra have arrested three young people accused of robbing minors in Sarrià with firearm threats. The latest suspect, aged 18, was captured on 23 October.
Operation against gangs mugging minors in Barcelona
According to elperiodico.com, the Mossos d'Esquadra have arrested a third suspect in a series of violent robberies against minors in the Sarrià-Sant Gervasi district. The detainee, an 18-year-old man, was acting alongside two other young men aged 19 and 20 who were already in provisional custody. The three targeted minor victims, approached them on motorbikes or in vehicles and threatened them with an imitation pistol to steal money, mobile phones and personal belongings.
The latest suspect was captured on 23 October. During a search of his residence, police located clothing used in the assaults. He was admitted to a youth justice centre by court order since he had committed the robberies whilst still under 18, albeit by only a few days. His two accomplices, both adults, remain in provisional custody accused of multiple robberies with violence.
Chronology of assaults between October and the previous month
Police link the suspects to several robberies from early October, mostly in Sarrià, an area that experienced significant public alarm among residents. On 3 October, they allegedly robbed a car parked in the area; the attackers got off a motorbike, threatened the owner with a firearm and forced him to abandon the vehicle.
In the early hours of 4 October, two minors were victims of violent robbery on Ganduxer Street. One of the suspects got out of a vehicle—possibly the one stolen days earlier—and threatened them with what appeared to be a pistol to take their belongings. The following night, on 5 October, two of the accused lost control of the car in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat and crashed into street furniture. A patrol managed to stop one, who disposed of a short firearm before being intercepted. Inside the vehicle were belongings taken from the two minors on 4 October, which were later returned.
Intensification of crimes and violence against minors
During the night of 10 October, two of the suspects carried out several assaults in Sarrià and Sant Cugat del Vallès. They would approach victims and threaten them with a pistol to strip them of valuables and, in several cases, of clothing. The offenders deliberately targeted minors, considering them more vulnerable victims, and warned them of violent consequences if they reported the incidents.
That same day, they attempted to mug a young person in the Tres Torres neighbourhood but failed. They then headed to Sant Cugat del Vallès, where they threatened another victim with a pistol to rob him. They then returned on motorbike to Sarrià to commit two additional robberies. The first of the detainees was captured on 21 October. At his flat in Eixample, police seized two imitation short firearms used in the assaults.
Investigation based on cameras and witness statements
Security cameras allowed the Mossos d'Esquadra to identify the suspects. Analysis of recordings, combined with statements from victims, was decisive in advancing the investigation. In some cases, victims were left without trousers or in underwear following street assaults, a circumstance that aggravated the psychological impact on minors.
The operation brings an end to several months of robberies that generated alarm in the northern part of Barcelona, particularly among families with teenage children who travelled the streets of Sarrià during the nights.
Source: Google News ES — Crime (es)