Spanish mayor resigns after being arrested for drunk driving

A Spanish mayor on Wednesday resigned hours after being arrested for drunk driving and attacking police who stopped him, a court and local media reported.

Nearly six weeks into one of the most restrictive coronavirus lockdowns in the world, Alex Pastor stepped down as Badalona mayor following reports he was caught driving under the influence and bit an officer who tried to give him a breathalyser test.

“Alex Pastor has resigned,” said a statement from the Badalona town hall, a beachfront town just north of Barcelona that is home to 200,000 people.

He was arrested in Barcelona Tuesday night and later charged with “a road safety violation and for attacking police”, a court statement said.

“He was arrested after showing symptoms of having drunk alcohol,” Catalan regional interior minister Miquel Buch told local radio, without giving further details.

Local press reports said Pastor physically lashed out at police, even biting one of the officers.

Local councillor Ruben Guijarro later confirmed the details.

“Everything that has been published is true, we have confirmed it,” he told reporters.

In a letter read out by a colleague at the press conference, Pastor said holding down the role of mayor “affected my health and my emotional state and caused me to do things that I regret”.

Since March 14, Spain’s population of nearly 47 million have been confined to their homes in order to slow the spread of the outbreak, which has killed more than 21,000 people.

People are only allowed out if they work in essential jobs, to buy food or medicine, to briefly walk the dog or for a medical emergency.

Police have handed out hundreds of thousands of fines to those found to be in breach.