A man aged 30 has been remanded in custody as a suspected perpetrator of a serious threat offence.
SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 3 Aug. (EUROPA PRESS) –
National Police agents have arrested a man who, as a gym user in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, barricaded himself in the changing rooms after pointing a replica gun at staff and threatening to take his own life, according to a statement from the security body.
The events occurred this Friday at around 08:20 hours, when the 091 emergency line received a call alerting that a man was inside the gym pointing a weapon at his head. The alarm was raised by a cleaning staff member who witnessed the individual brandishing a gun and saying he wanted to speak to a police officer.
Moments before, this individual, a regular user of the sports centre, had received a phone call that upset him. He began shouting in the middle of the training area, creating an atmosphere of tension among other users. In response to his behaviour, one of the instructors asked him to lower his voice, which provoked an even more aggressive reaction.
Shortly after, the man displayed the weapon to the cleaner and then approached the instructor, threatening to hit him and shoot him. The instructor took advantage of a moment when the aggressor lost his balance while striking a door and managed to escape to the manager’s office to seek refuge, but the individual followed him, forcing him to place his hands on his neck, pointing the gun at his head and demanding that he kneel down.
The perpetrator eventually barricaded himself in the changing rooms, still in possession of the weapon, where he was located by agents who had already established a security perimeter and evacuated the gym. One of the police officers managed to engage the individual in conversation, who was visibly anxious and affected by personal issues. After several minutes of dialogue, the man agreed to relinquish the weapon voluntarily.
The gun was found to be a replica, and the detained individual was taken to a medical facility for evaluation. He was subsequently remanded in custody as a suspected perpetrator of a serious threat offence.
