A 50-year-old man has been arrested by the National Police in Las Palmas (Gran Canaria) after allegedly committing two violent robberies at knifepoint in jewellery shops in the city’s Triana district.
He was apprehended by the police while attempting to flee the scene by boarding a public bus.
According to the Canary Islands’ National Police Headquarters, the incidents occurred last Friday (21st March), when the police received several emergency calls via the 091 control centre reporting that a man wielding a knife had robbed two businesses before fleeing the area.
Based on descriptions provided by the employees of both establishments, officers launched a search operation and soon located the suspect waiting at a bus stop near the Vegueta Market. Upon spotting the police, the man tried to escape by boarding a bus, but officers managed to stop the vehicle and detained him before he could get away.
A security search conducted at the scene uncovered €664 in cash, a knife, and a sweatshirt matching the one worn by the suspect during the first robbery.
Further investigation revealed that a theft had been reported at a nearby jewellery shop the previous day. Additionally, an attempted robbery had occurred at another jewellery shop in a neighbouring street. In the latter case, the suspect was recognised by an employee, who had seen him during the earlier incident and refused him entry to the premises.
The man, who already has a criminal record, was ultimately arrested on suspicion of armed robbery and has been placed at the disposal of the competent judicial authority.
