Remanded in custody for allegedly stealing a disabled homeless man's wheelchair in Valencia

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National Police arrested a man, who has a police record and has served jail time for other robberies, just 40 minutes after the victim was threatened with a knife

Ignacio Cabanes

Valencia

Monday, 27 April 2026, 10:25

Not even a wheelchair used by a homeless man with reduced mobility to get around the city is safe from thieves. They no longer respect anything at all, not even people with disabilities.

A repeat offender has been arrested in Valencia - and returned to the prison from which he was released only last December - after committing yet another robbery with violence. He stole a wheelchair from a disabled person after threatening him with a knife.

The robbery took place on Monday morning on Calle La Reina in Valencia. The offender assaulted a 63-year-old man with reduced mobility who lives on the streets, brandishing a crude, double-edged weapon. The thief, a 50-year-old Spanish national, threatened the man with this knife, demanding his wheelchair.

The thief also made off with other personal items belonging to the homeless man: a sleeping bag and a rucksack, among other items.

The man, who needs the stolen wheelchair to get around, managed to reach a nearby day centre for the homeless, one he regularly uses, and alerted the volunteers that his wheelchair and all his key belongings had just been stolen.

Police from the Marítim district police station located and arrested the alleged thief just 40 minutes later. He was in possession of a wheelchair and his clothing and appearance matched the description provided by the victim.

The arresting officers also seized a homemade weapon he had apparently used to threaten the victim minutes earlier and they were able to recover and return all of the disabled man's belongings.

The detainee, who was released from prison only four months ago after serving several years for two violent robberies committed in 2016 and 2017, was brought before the magistrate's court in Valencia. The judge ordered him to be remanded in custody, without bail, for the crime of robbery with violence.