This action comes after officers reported the online leakage of their personal data and photos, an act authorities warn could constitute a hate crime. The probe unfolds amid mounting public outrage over the death of Haitam Mejri, a 35-year-old Moroccan national, during his arrest at a phone shop in Torremolinos last December.
Shocking footage circulated online depicted an agitated Mejri being restrained by two officers while a third deployed a taser at his back and neck multiple times. The initial police account attributed his death to heart failure triggered by drug use and 'agitated delirium'.
“"Saying that you 'die' of a heart attack while police restrain you is like saying that women 'die' at the hands of their partner while they are being beaten. They are not deaths, they are murders – and this racist police violence must be stopped now."
However, critics swiftly emerged, many arguing that officers used excessive force. Independent journalist Fonsi Laiza claimed TikTok removed one of his posts where he described Mejri's death as an instance of 'police brutality'.
The controversy escalated following Mejri's arrest and death on December 7. CCTV footage shows Mejri entering a phone shop on Calle Hoyo in a distressed state, seemingly searching for a phone charger. After a brief struggle with the shopkeeper, Mejri placed two phones on the counter and plugged one in to charge. Minutes later, several officers entered the establishment.
According to statements from six involved officers, Mejri repeatedly refused orders to drop a pair of scissors he was holding. He was eventually disarmed, and when two officers were unable to restrain him, another deployed a taser at close range. Two additional taser discharges followed before four officers managed to handcuff him. Police stated that Mejri was in a state of 'extreme agitation' before collapsing, and have requested that the shop's security footage be included in the official report.
Despite CPR efforts by officers and paramedics, Mejri could not be revived. An autopsy conducted by Malaga's Institute of Legal Medicine, supported by toxicology tests in Seville, concluded that his death resulted from a drug reaction associated with agitated delirium, exacerbated by an underlying heart condition. Nevertheless, an independent report by forensic expert Aitor Curiel, commissioned by the family, disputes this conclusion, noting 86 injuries on Mejri's body and arguing he would not have died without the multiple injuries sustained during the arrest.
Further compounding the Mejri family's outrage, ElDiario.es later reported that a judge shelved the case without interviewing the officers involved. The controversy has also drawn political criticism, with Ione Belarra, secretary-general of the far-left Podemos party, comparing the situation to gender-based violence in a post on X (formerly Twitter). In response, the police union SUP has filed a criminal complaint against Belarra, accusing her of defamation, serious insults, and hate crimes against police officers.
