The Polícia Judiciária (PJ) has confirmed the arrest of a 23-year-old man suspected of killing an American tourist in Cascais during the early hours of Wednesday.
In a statement, the authority indicated that the man is “strongly suspected of committing two crimes of homicide, one consummated and the other attempted, both carried out using a bladed weapon, occurring early today on Rua Afonso Sanches, in Cascais.”
The victims are two American citizens, aged 35 and 33, who were in Portugal “temporarily.” The elder of the two succumbed to his injuries.
The crime occurred “in the context of a seemingly trivial altercation between the assailant and the two victims,” according to the note.
The conflict began “verbally and then escalated to physical aggression,” leading the suspect to “use a bladed weapon he had stored” in his car “to inflict grave injuries on both victims.”
One victim died on the scene, while the second was treated by the Instituto Nacional de Emergência Médica (INEM) and later transported to Hospital de Santa Maria in Lisbon, “where he remains hospitalized in serious, but stable, condition.”
“After the assaults, the aggressor quickly left the scene to avoid interception by the police authorities, who were then dispatched to the scene,” the PJ explained.
The young man will be presented for an initial judicial interrogation to determine the appropriate coercive measures.
In a statement issued to the media on Wednesday afternoon, the PSP had already reported being called at 3:20 AM due to “the presence of a stabbed individual on the public road” on Rua Afonso Sanches in Cascais.
Upon arrival, the officers encountered two men “covered in blood,” one “lying on the ground supine, unresponsive and showing no obvious signs of life,” and another “conscious, seated on the sidewalk, also showing visible injuries,” to the face and arm.
An American died and another was injured early Wednesday as a result of a stabbing in central Cascais. The three male suspects fled the scene but have reportedly been apprehended.
The 33-year-old man stated he was walking on the public road “toward the local lodging where he was staying” when he was approached by three male individuals without any prior interaction.
He reported that the suspects “attempted to touch” the hat he was wearing and, despite his requests for them to stop, he ended up being “punched three times in the facial area.”
“In response to the assault, seeking help, the victim contacted his friend, who was nearby at a nightlife establishment known as TAJ, located on Travessa da Alfarrobeira in Cascais,” the PSP explained.
The man who later died arrived at the scene and a “verbal altercation” ensued between the victims and the suspects. One suspect then armed himself with a knife and delivered “multiple blows to the face, arms, and back” of the Americans.
After the attack, “the suspects fled to an unknown location in a vehicle parked near the crime scene.”
Besides INEM, the firefighters from Cascais and Estoril provided “necessary and possible medical assistance, transporting the conscious victim to Hospital de Santa Maria in Lisbon.”
The deceased’s body was transported to the Guia cemetery in Cascais by the Parede Fire Brigade.
