Laurence Dollimore
A MANHUNT is underway for an ‘English-speaking’ tourist who spat at locals after being told to put a mask on.
Manuel and Paloma were walking their dog on Calle Nueva in the capital on Saturday morning when they crossed paths with a tourist not wearing any type of face covering.
Unbeknown to the couple, the tourist was spitting at them from behind while acting aggressively and making comments.
The couple turned around to confront him and told him to put a mask on before he began insulting them in English, calling the woman a ‘whore’, reported Diario Sur.
He then threatened to hit them by raising his hand several times.
Policia Local were called, including by the couple, with several reports of a young man behaving ‘in a strange and aggressive way.’
Police told the couple to keep an eye on the suspect until officers arrived.
When they told the man they were calling police he reportedly laughed and said ‘go for it, call whoever you want.’
The suspect scurried down an alley before officers arrived while the couple went to a friend’s house to leave their dog so they could file a police report.
It was then that they noticed the back of their clothes were covered in spit.
“We realised that he had been spitting at us from behind, we thought it had been at the ground,” the couple told Diario Sur, “When I saw it I felt so disgusted, not just because of the saliva but also the issue of COVID-19.”
Witnesses told police the man looked Asian and was carrying a camping backpack.
Policia Nacional are believed to have taken over the investigation.
The couple added: “It makes us feel proud to see residents making the effort, despite being hot, to wear masks, while tourists generally don’t wear them.”
