An Irish expat has been arrested on the Costa del Sol after allegedly ordering his American Staffordshire Terrier to attack two police officers during a coronavirus curfew row.
One of the officers ended up in a hospital A&E after being bitten by the powerful dog before colleagues were able to overpower its owner and handcuff him.
The unnamed 23-year-old was stopped by undercover cops after being spotted in the street near his home in San Pedro, close to Marbella, hours after the start of a local 10pm curfew without his obligatory face mask on.
The officers ended up accompanying him to his nearby home so he could fetch ID to provide his details for a fine.
Instead of coming back out of his house with his ID documents, he allegedly started filming them with his mobile and insulting them in English before pushing one of the officers and trying to run back inside his home.
He is said to have set his dog on them after a second assault on the officers when his mum appeared on the scene with the AmStaff.
A police report on the incident says one of the officers was knocked to the ground after being punched in the face by the Irish youngster and his colleague kicked before the dog attack.
The one bitten on the hand and his knee is still on sick leave after being treated in a hospital A&E unit.
It was not immediately clear today if the Irishman had appeared in court following his arrest.
He was held around 4am on Saturday on suspicion of aggravated assault on a police officer, resisting arrest and disobedience.
