Four men, aged between 27 and 39, were arrested by the Mossos d'Esquadra in Barcelona on 20 April, accused of a 'butrón' style robbery at a phone shop on Avenida Meridiana. The arrests followed a dangerous vehicle pursuit that began in the early hours of the morning.
Police detected a high-end car at the junction of Avenida Meridiana and Carrer Aragó. When officers tried to stop it, the occupants fled at high speed, driving against traffic, mounting pavements, and ignoring signals and traffic lights before joining the Ronda Litoral, according to officials.
Police Operation and Interception
This led to a joint operation involving citizen security patrols, the Sant Andreu investigation unit, the Sant Martí police station, the ARRO unit, and the Guàrdia Urbana de Barcelona. The vehicle was eventually intercepted on the Ronda Litoral. Five occupants then tried to escape on foot towards the Port area, but four were caught.
Officers found numerous items in the car's boot, including smartwatches, mobile phones, wireless headphones, consoles, and external batteries. They also seized specialised tools often used in 'butrón' robberies. These included a thermal lance, an endoscopic camera, a hydraulic jack, a drill, an angle grinder, and oxygen and butane cylinders.
Shortly after the arrests, the Mossos received a report that a phone shop on the same Avenida Meridiana had been robbed. The thieves had made a hole in the wall from an adjacent premises, specifically in the electrical meter area.
Ongoing Investigation
The four arrested men appeared before a judge on 22 April 2026. The investigation remains open to determine the involvement of the fifth occupant who managed to escape, police said.
