The Municipal Police of Ponferrada (León) has arrested a man over 80 years old, a repeat offender, as the alleged responsible for causing damage by scratching several vehicles parked in the parking lot located next to the facilities of the City of Energy (Ciuden).
The arrest took place on the morning of Saturday, October 10, after the suspect allegedly scratched several cars parked in the area. This intervention is part of an investigation opened by the National Police following the accumulation of complaints about similar incidents in that same place.
The Ponferrada Police Station had organized a discreet surveillance operation in the Ciuden parking lots with the aim of identifying and arresting the author of these damages. At the time of the action, there were also plainclothes National Police officers nearby, integrated into that operation, who were able to move immediately to the point where the events were occurring.
In recent weeks, the Ponferrada Police Station had recorded eight complaints for damage to nine private vehicles, all parked in the Ciuden parking lots or in very close areas. The cars appeared with one or several longitudinal scratches on one of the sides, supposedly made with a key or another metallic object.
According to the information provided by the National Police in a statement reported by Europa Press, the damages occurred quickly and discreetly, mainly on weekends, in a time frame between 10:00 and 13:00 hours. The complaints and testimonies of those affected also indicate that the attacks on the vehicles were carried out indiscriminately, without a specific relationship detected so far between the owners of the cars and the alleged author.
Recidivism and surveillance operation
The police investigations have confirmed that the detainee had already been investigated for incidents with very similar characteristics in the same parking lot. In October 2024, he was caught in the act for events that led to the indictment of 16 crimes of damage to vehicles, clarified at that time in that intervention.
The repetition of incidents, the coincidence of the place, the time slot, and the mode of operation are considered key elements in the current investigation, which seeks to determine the possible relationship of the arrested individual with the damages recently reported. In this latest episode, one of the affected individuals, who had already seen their car damaged previously, went to the parking lot equipped with recording devices to document possible new attacks.
According to their statement, they observed how an individual approached several vehicles and allegedly scratched them, events that were recorded with their mobile phone and other cameras. After notifying the Municipal Police of Ponferrada, the agents arrived at the scene, detained the suspect, identified a witness, and documented the damages caused to the cars. The recordings provided by the complainant are considered relevant material for clarifying the facts.
The presence of a National Police officer integrated into the discreet operation allowed for immediate coordination of actions and ensured the continuity of the proceedings, which have been sent, along with the detainee, to the competent judicial authority.