Man on electric scooter tries to steal Spain’s DGT speed camera

A man on an electric scooter thought he could grab a police speed camera and vanish into traffic. He got away that day, but it’s taken the Guardia Civil almost a year, and some public boasting on social media, to catch up with him. 

He didn’t even stop to grab it

It happened on the N-301 near La Roda (Albacete), in Castilla-La Mancha, in October 2025. Guardia Civil traffic officers had a mobile speed camera set up on a tripod at the roadside when a man on an electric scooter rode straight at it and tried to grab the device without slowing down. He didn’t manage to make off with it though, as the radar fell to the ground in the attempt and broke, leaving repairs valued at around €4,000.

He’d gone to some lengths to avoid being recognised, wearing a full-face helmet, protective glasses and dark clothing, but it didn’t save him from being chased. The officer operating the radar gave chase on foot straight away and radioed a nearby patrol for backup, though the rider still managed to break away through side streets and disappear into the town centre.

Boasting online gave him away 

Officers from the local Guardia Civil post in La Roda and the force’s Grupo de Investigación y Análisis de Tráfico (GIAT, its traffic investigation and analysis unit) spent months working the case. What eventually gave him away, according to the Guardia Civil, wasn’t CCTV or a licence plate. It was social media.

Investigators found he’d been very active on social networks, where he’d apparently boasted about the stunt to friends and encouraged others to try something similar. That trail led them to a 32-year-old local resident, now formally under investigation, meaning he hasn’t been charged or convicted just yet, but is a formal suspect in the case. 

He now faces theft and criminal damage charges 

The case has been referred to the investigating court in La Roda, with the man facing potential charges of attempted theft and causing criminal damage. Under Spanish law, damage above €1,000 can carry a considerably heavier penalty than a straightforward theft attempt, so the €4,000 valuation on the radar matters as much to his case as the attempted theft itself.

Radar attacks are becoming increasingly common across Spain

This wasn’t a one-off. Figures obtained from Spain’s Interior Ministry show intentional acts of vandalism against DGT speed cameras rose by 62.5 per cent between 2018 and 2024, climbing from 32 incidents to 52 a year, with 290 recorded over that period. In Madrid, some radars have reportedly been repaired and destroyed again within hours, more than once.

It’s not the only way frustrated drivers have tried to get the better of Spain’s speed cameras this year. The DGT (Dirección General de Tráfico, Spain’s national traffic authority) has spent more than €14 million over four years maintaining and auditing its speed detection network, a bill vandalism and theft attempts only add to.

The case is now with the investigating court in La Roda, and if the criminal damage charge sticks, he could still end up covering the €4,000 repair bill for the radar he tried to take home.