A Local Police officer in Torrevieja was forced to draw his service firearm last Thursday evening after a man allegedly threatened officers with a knife on the busy Juan Aparicio seafront.

The incident happened at around 7.30pm while officers were asking unlicensed street vendors to leave the area near a beachfront restaurant. When they returned to their patrol car, they discovered that all four tyres had been slashed. A witness identified a suspect, who then reportedly brandished a knife at officers as they attempted to arrest him.

The officer drew his weapon as a deterrent. With the help of a colleague and an off-duty Guardia Civil officer, the man was restrained using terrace furniture and taken into custody. He later appeared before a judge and was released on bail pending charges of serious criminal damage and disobedience and resistance to authority.

Police patrols on Torrevieja’s seafront have increased in recent months as part of efforts to tackle unlicensed street selling. Large quantities of suspected counterfeit goods have been seized, although no other arrests have been reported.