James Warren
TWO active Policia Nacional officers have been jailed for the bar brawl that led to last weekends riots in the Andalucian town of Linares, Jaen.
The scenes of last Saturday night were like something out of a movie as containers were burnt to the ground and fights broke out between residents and police officers.
The residents were angry at the apparent unprovoked attack from the two officers on 49-year-old Carlos in front of his 14-year-old daughter outside of a bar in the centre of Linares.
The aggression occurred late Saturday afternoon when Carlos accidentally nudged one of the off duty officers.
Far from diffusing the situation, the officer turned and berated the man, shouting “let’s go asshole”.
The victim responded with “you’re the asshole” which led the officer’s colleagues to stand from their table and begin to attack the man in what the judge described as an ‘act of cruelty’.
The ensuing fight was recorded by multiple passers-by as four officers can be seen attacking the man and punching his daughter, at one point smashing a bottle over her head as she stepping to help her stricken father.
In the videos you can hear the screams of the 14-year-old as her father was being beaten.
The victim was left with a broken nose, damage to his eye and stitches in his eye brow and the daughter had swelling to her arm and a black eye, both treated by local health services at the scene.
On duty officers soon arrived and arrested the attackers, removing their badges and guns, and transferred them to the Jaen Police Station where they were held for questioning.
As news circulated of the officers actions and whereabouts, angry residents took to the streets to denounce the attack, gathering outside the police station to show their disgust at the attack.
The gathering escalated and continued well into the night, with more and more rioters amassing, setting fire to refuse containers and attacking police sent to disband the mob.
Police used rubber bullets and live ammunition to calm the crowd, angering the mob even more, leading to injuries to multiple officers.
During the fight, one officer was run over by a moped, while another was bitten on the leg, none of which required serious medical attention.
In total, 14 members of the public were arrested and 20 police officers were injured.
The town of Linares was left with 30,000 euros of damage was caused to municipal property and outdoor furniture in an altercation that lasted until 10pm before police managed to bring the situation under control.
The two officers guilty of the initial attack were moved to a different location and were sentenced to prison for their actions on Sunday.
The Policia Nacional will also initiate disciplinary proceedings which are expected to include exclusion from the force.
The Government delegate in Andalusia, Sandra García called for calm in Linares, calling Saturdays incident ‘not representative of Linares at all’.
“We are all aware that the situation in Linares, as in many municipalities, many provinces, it is complicated, the stress of the pandemic that is affecting us all” said Garcia.
“That said, the government of Andalucia cannot stand with the citizens involved in the riots, their actions are unacceptable.”
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