Shocking moment cop slaps sunbather amid major crackdown on beach vendors

News.com.au

5 days ago

This is the shocking moment a Spanish police officer slapped a sunbather during a major crackdown on beach vendors.
The jaw-dropping footage, captured in the holiday hotspot of Marbellain southern Spain, came as two people were arrested in police operations.
The cop, who was wearing a helmet to protect his head, slapped an elderly man twice around the face despite the fact there seemed to be no prior physical provocation.
The unidentified holidaymaker appeared to yell 'Hijo de puta' which in English would translate as 'Son of a b***h' before being slapped.
Despite the video footage appearing to identify the police officer as the aggressor, the elderly tourist is understood to have been arrested.
Stunned tourists looked on in horror as tensions between local police and street vendors in Marbella boiled over.
Video clips show confrontations between the cops and vendors playing out.
But the viral footage of the policeman slapping a bather is now being reviewed by the authorities.
This incident is reported to have happened at around 4pm on Saturday, July 19, at Faro Beach in Marbella.
Another holidaymaker in swimming trunks, filmed being surrounded by seven officers and pinned to the ground after a shouting match and a lot of fingerpointing, tried to intervene but also ended up getting arrested.
Sources claimed today that one of the detainees threw a bottle at cops. He denies the allegation.
An operation against street vendors of counterfeit goods was taking place there at the time of the clips.
Other videos of the operation show cops riding around the area on quadbikes.
One clip shows a cop riding up on his quadbike to a man carrying handbags on the beach.
The man quickly sprints away from the police officer as he dismounts.
The police officer stumbles and trips over in the sand as he attempts a pursuit.
Other videos show bewildered tourists looking on as a chase is underway.
Another appears to show a police officer pushing a man out of a cafe door as he pursues enquiries.
Marbella Town Hall has not yet commented on the actions of the police officer seen slapping the tourist filmed insulting him at the weekend.
They said the incident had happened during a routine police inspection against itinerant street trading.
Police officers on quads are carrying out more regular inspections during the summer in Marbella.