A man in his late 40s was violently assaulted by a group of tenagers in the early hours of Sunday morning in Los Llanos de Teror, Gran Canaria, in what is believed to have been an attack intended for sharing online.
The incident, which occurred around 1:30am near Calle Recotín, has shocked the local community.
A witness, who is also a local resident, said he intervened just in time to prevent the situation from escalating further. "If I hadn't arrived, they might have killed him," he said.
According to the witness, approximately seven youths surrounded the man, who was crying out for help. Several neighbours responded to the commotion and found the man badly injured, having sustained injuries to his face, eye, and knee.
The victim told residents that the confrontation began while he was walking towards a nearby sports complex. He said the group initially began harassing him verbally. When he turned to face them, one of the gang punched him, causing him to fall to the ground. The group then dragged him for nearly 100 metres, whilst continuing to kick and punch him.
One of the assailants, a 15-year-old boy, was detained at the scene by the witness as the others fled. The minor reportedly confessed that the attack had been planned to be recorded and posted online. "It's the trend now," he allegedly said.
Emergency services confirmed that the victim suffered multiple injuries and was treated at a local health centre. By the time officers from the Guardia Civil arrived, the rest of the attackers had already escaped.
Authorities have launched an investigation to identify all those involved in the assault. The incident has raised concerns about the influence of social media on youth behaviour and the disturbing trend of filming violent acts for online attention.
