The Setúbal District Command of the Public Security Police (PSP) disclosed on Friday that the man arrested for throwing ammonia at a woman on the street had intended to steal the victim’s belongings.
In a statement released on social media, the authority specified that the crime took place on Wednesday when the victim “was in a public place” and “was suddenly approached by the suspect, who threw a liquid at her face”.
The liquid caused “severe agony and significant physical weakness” to the victim. The suspect took advantage of her “state of vulnerability” and “difficulty seeing” to steal her purse and mobile phone.
After committing the crime, the man “fled on foot to an unknown location”.
“It was possible to identify and locate the suspect through a swift and effective police intervention, gathering sufficient evidence and indications that allowed the suspect’s arrest outside of active pursuit,” stated the PSP, noting that the victim’s mobile phone “was recovered.”
The “victim sustained injuries to her eyes, resulting in partial vision problems,” the PSP reported.
The man was detained for robbery, and after being presented for his first judicial interrogation at the Setúbal Court, he was subjected to the most severe coercive measure—preventive detention.
Earlier, a PSP source had informed Noticias ao Minuto that the incident occurred at Praça de Portugal, near Banco Montepio, and that the “victim sustained injuries to her eyes, resulting in partial vision problems”.
