Riot police quell tension in Salou after street vendor dies in raid

RIOT police were deployed on the street in the Catalan resort of Salou after the death of a 50-year-old Senegalese man in a police raid set off angry clashes. 

The as yet unnamed man died on Tuesday (August 11) when the Catalan police force Mossos d’Esquadra, mounting an operation against the sale of fake goods, entered a building and he reportedly jumped from the third floor.

As his body was being taken from the scene, an estimated 200 people gathered in the area to protest, many of them believed to be members of the African community, but tensions escalated and rocks were thrown at the police. 

At one point, photos on social media show, a barricade was placed across railway tracks, and Renfe confirmed trains had been disrupted.

One arrest has been reported in the disturbances that followed, with several people injured, both protestors and police officers.

Shots were fired by police to disperse the crowd, using rubber bullets according to Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia. 

A spokesperson for Mossos confirmed that police had entered the building with the intention of arresting the man who died, but said no altercation had taken place before he jumped.