Father and son refuse to pay bar bill and assault police officer in inland Malaga town restaurant

A 'simpa' in Spanish is a newfangled abbreviation for 'sin pagar' (without paying). Like 'dine-and-dash', it refers to leaving a bar or restaurant without paying the bill. This was the trigger for a serious incident last month in the Malaga town of Álora, where a man and his son allegedly assaulted a bar manager and, later, sent a local police officer to hospital with four broken ribs.

The situation unfolded shortly after midnight, on 24 May, in restaurant El Cortijillo de San Juan, where a local secondary school graduation party was being held. Among the customers was a man of Portuguese origin who ordered a Dyc whisky and coke. After finishing his drink, he attempted to leave the establishment without paying.

One of the waiters noticed the attempt and told the manager, who asked the customer to pay his tab. According to eyewitnesses, the man grabbed the manager's arm and, without saying a word, began to twist it - dislocating his shoulder. Allegedly, the individual then tried to go back into the establishment to berate and threaten the employees.

The bar's employees helped their manager, who was taken inside the restaurant for protection. The owner went outside to try to calm the customer down, but his efforts were in vain, because the man was still determined to enter the restaurant, according to sources.

The situation reached the point that waiters had to block the door to prevent him from coming in. He continued to threaten the manager, shouting derogatory phrases such as: "Get the shitty Ecuadorian out, I'll have to kill him."

After a report, the local police in Álora sent a pair of officers to check on the situation. On arrival, the police officers found the agitated customer. While the officers were trying to clarify what had happened, the man pushed one of them.

At that moment, the second person involved - presumably the suspect's son - appeared and threw an uppercut aimed at one of the local police officers. It hit him on the left side and was so accurate that it literally took his breath away. The technique was so precise that the officers were under the impression that the young man had martial arts training. At the hospital it was confirmed that the officer had broken four ribs.

According to accounts, father and son allegedly continued to throw blows at the police officers, who managed to hold them off. The young man even raised a chair with the intention of throwing it at them while his father supposedly encouraged him. Amid all of this were shouts of "we're going to kill you" and "now you'll see".

The two involved eventually fled the scene by car while continuing to shout threats. The offender allegedly drove so quickly that he nearly ran people over in the street - to the extent that he could also be charged with dangerous driving. They were subsequently arrested by the Guardia Civil.