The Public Security Police (PSP) on Tuesday arrested a man suspected of setting fire with a lighter to car number 37, which was part of the Queima das Fitas de Coimbra procession.
The 30-year-old suspect was arrested at Republic Square in Coimbra at 6:00 p.m. after a warning issued by a student, according to a PSP press release sent to Lusa news agency today.
Police “immediately apprehended a suspect who, in an attempt to avoid arrest, reacted aggressively, causing officers to fall, resulting in multiple injuries requiring hospital treatment,” the statement said.
Pepper spray had to be used in the procedures leading to the suspect’s arrest due to the man’s “extremely violent and aggressive behavior,” PSP adds.
This arrest was attended by an on-duty member of the National Republican Guard (NR), who was watching the procession.