A Spanish man in the Blanca region has been arrested after he faked having a heart attack at more than 20 restaurants to avoid paying the bill. The unnamed suspect, who’s said to be 50 years old, has had his photo circulated around local establishments as a warning since he’s pulled the stunt so many times, EFE reports.
- He was finally caught out at a local restaurant. After staff handed the man a $37 bill, he got up and claimed he was just going to his hotel room to grab the money to pay. When employees prevented hm from leaving, that’s when things got grim.
- The man began faking a heart attack when he was pushed to pay. “It was very theatrical, he pretended to faint and slumped himself down on the floor,” the manager of the restaurant told 20Minutos. “We have sent his photo around to all the restaurants to try and stop him from striking again.”
- He asked staff at the restaurant to call him an ambulance. However, aware of his scheming, they refused. Instead, they called the police, who arrived on the scene soon after.
- Police recognized the man right away. His previous run-ins at other restaurants in the area made it quite easy for authorities to identify the man, who was said to be wearing a polo shirt, long grey pants, and trekking shoes. He was said to be well-dressed and wearing clothing from popular brands.
- The man was quickly arrested and taken to a local jail. It’s unclear what charges he faces, but given how notorious he is in various restaurants around Alicante, his rap sheet could get pretty long. Police said he’d been living in the area since November 2022.
