Three men and one woman were arrested on Monday in Murcia as part of a local police operation targeting a disturbing set of events at a dance club known as Watchtowers. Police sources say another young woman, a friend of the victims, reported she was sexually assaulted by an unknown person inside the same venue.
The sequence began with a speeding car on the road. A vehicle traveling at high speed along the Alicante highway drew the attention of several officers from Murcia Local Police, assigned to the Special Citizen Security Group. When they stopped the car they confirmed the driver and two women inside were nervous and unsettled. The occupants explained that one of the women had just survived a sexual assault inside the Molino de Nelva strip club in the Atalayalar area.
Officers learned that the driver and the two women did not know each other and the driver had offered to drive them home after meeting them near the entrance of the venue. Police proceeded to identify him and discovered he did not hold a valid driver’s license and was subject to two outstanding arrest warrants from Alicante courts. He, a 34 year old Spanish man, was taken into custody on charges related to road safety offenses and for the two warrants.
police go to the scene
Subsequently, after gathering information about the alleged sexual offender, police units went to the venue to identify and arrest him, but the establishment had closed its doors to the officers and those inside refused to cooperate. Attempts to gain entry were met with reluctance from the staff on duty.
The officers repeatedly asked the person in charge to open the doors while explaining their presence, but they were met with resistance.
Meanwhile, the woman who reported the sexual abuse told officers that a friend of hers was at work and had informed her by phone. The officers arranged for the two women to be kept apart in a secure room inside the premises, along with another young woman present at the scene.
First, one of the girls was detained, and when authorities pressed the issue, the other girl was also detained. After more than an hour of police activity and formal requirements, a staff member finally opened the door.
Inside the room, according to the victims, the alleged perpetrator of the sexual abuse was arrested. One of the victims said the person had acted against her will during the incident.
Officers also heard screams and pleas for help from the two young women who remained inside the room, while asking to be released behind a locked door. Despite their distress, the two women appeared to be in good health overall as they were removed from the room.
After being freed, the two victims described the scene as a contained event within the premises, noting that the manager of the building had resisted the police during the intervention. Reports indicate that the manager attacked the officers and was subsequently detained. A further confrontation occurred when the woman who had opened the door attempted to assault the officers and was arrested.
Total arrests included four individuals: the driver of the vehicle for lack of a license and for outstanding warrants; the alleged owner of the property, aged 42; the tavern manager, aged 51, charged with illegal detention; and a 51-year-old woman charged with assaulting officers and obstructing police work.
All suspects were placed in the care of the National Police, which is the competent authority for conducting the investigation in this case.