Police arrested a 30-year-old man nicknamed "El Chispa" in the municipality of San Joaquín, in the Metropolitan Region. He is accused of removing motors from electric scooters parked on public streets to sell their components on the informal market.
According to T13, officers from San Joaquín's 50th Police Station caught him at the intersection of Las Industrias Avenue and Pedro Alarcón. At the time, he was striking one of the vehicles with a hammer. The sources do not specify the exact date of the arrest.
Meganoticias added that passersby reported the man after seeing him detach the motors in plain view of people passing through the area.
When they arrested him, police found that he was carrying four scooter motors inside a bag, along with a hammer and screwdrivers. Police believe he used those tools to commit the thefts. According to T13, the man acted alone.
According to police information, the aim was to extract the copper from the motors and sell it. He allegedly used that money to buy drugs. This account comes from police and sources linked to the investigation, and so far there is no other account.
Major Óscar Llantén, of the San Joaquín police, said the detainee has two previous arrests: one for burglary of an inhabited property and another for carrying a bladed weapon. The officer attributed the arrest to preventive patrols and coordination with the municipality and residents.
In the same report, police said seizures in the municipality this year increased compared with the same period in 2025. Firearm seizures rose 50%, bladed weapon seizures 56% and ammunition seizures 309%. Drug seizures increased 95%.
The case is at the arrest stage. The sources do not report whether the man has already attended a detention review hearing, at which a judge examines whether the arrest was lawful. Nor do they indicate whether the Prosecutor's Office formally notified him that he is under investigation, or what precautionary measures it requested. Until a verdict is issued, the detainee is presumed innocent.