Two men have been arrested in Tenerife following a police chase through the streets in the centre of Santa Cruz in the early hours of this morning (Thursday), which ended with two police cars damaged and the driver allegedly testing positive for alcohol.
The incident began at approximately 12:50am, when officers from the Policía Local de Santa Cruz spotted a Citroën Berlingo travelling through the city with one of its rear lights apparently not working.
According to information released by the Local Police, officers signalled for the driver to stop so they could carry out the relevant checks.
Instead, police say the driver accelerated away, triggering a pursuit through several parts of the Tenerife capital.
The chase reportedly took officers along Avenida Marítima, Avenida Francisco La Roche, Rambla de Santa Cruz and Carlos J.R. Hamilton, before continuing towards Avenida de Anaga and through streets around Valleseco.
The vehicle then headed back towards the city centre as officers attempted to bring the pursuit to an end.
Police cars damaged during chase
According to the police account, the van was driven recklessly during the pursuit and allegedly collided with police vehicles.
At least two Policía Local patrol cars were damaged during the incident.
Officers eventually managed to stop the Citroën and detained the two men travelling inside, aged 19 and 31 years old.
Police subsequently carried out checks on the driver and discovered that he allegedly did not have a valid driving licence. He was also subjected to an alcohol test, which police say produced a positive result.
The precise alcohol reading has not been disclosed in the information released so far, so it is not possible to establish from the available information whether the result constituted an administrative traffic offence or exceeded the threshold for a separate criminal drink-driving offence.
Both men were arrested following the incident.
No nationality has been officially confirmed for either of those detained and, in accordance with Canarian Weekly's policy, no assumptions have been made regarding their nationality.
Fortunately, the information released by the Policía Local has not reported any injuries arising from the pursuit.
The incident comes as police forces across the Canary Islands continue regular road-safety operations targeting offences including drink-driving, drug-driving and motorists using vehicles without the appropriate documentation.
