42 year old arrested in Puerto Rico de Gran Canaria on suspicion of setting fire to neighbour’s car

The Guardia Civil Main Post in Puerto Rico de Gran Canaria, Mogán, arrested a 42-year-old last March 11, allegedly the perpetrator of the crimes of arson and damage having set fire to their neighbour’s car causing damage to a residential complex belonging to a Community of the Property Owners in the town. The events occurred during the early hours of February 26, when the Puerto Rico Civil Guard were alerted to an incident at a duplex located on Calle Valencia, where a vehicle was on fire.

At the scene they documented a complaint (denuncia) and carried out an investigation of the facts. Subsequently, the complainant pressed charges, which led the president of the community, to also report the alleged forcing of a door into a room belonging to the community of apartments.

The allegations were directly related, and so the police made inquiries based on a technical visual inspection of the vehicle, in conjunction with the appearance of possible witnesses, and analysis of images provided by the community itself.

With all this, it was possible to determine that the perpetrator of the vehicle fire had also forced the doors of the community room, and that the suspect’s family lives in the house next door to the apartment where the car was set on fire and that they were in the family home on the weekend in question, allowing investigators to verify how the suspect allegedly forced the door of the community room and later caused the fire, setting light to the gasoline tank, which damaged the rear of the vehicle.

Differences between the family of the alleged perpetrator and the community of owners appear to have been the motive behind the arson attack.

Thankfully there were no major repercussions or damage to the property, and nobody was injured, due to the rapid action of the Guardia Civil patrol and later to the local Fire Brigade, given that the burning vehicle was parked in a private car park in front of the house, just in front of its only entrance, which could have prevented residents from leaving if the flames had spread to the dwelling itself.

Once the police report was completed, the alleged perpetrator was arrested, and placed at the disposal of the Duty Magistrates Court of San Bartolomé de Tirajana.