The mayor of Arbeca was arrested for assaulting his ex-partner and biting a police officer.

ArbecaThe Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan Mossos d'Esquadra) have arrested the mayor of Arbeca (Garrigues), Sergi Pelegrí, who is linked to the ERC (Republican Revolutionary Army), for allegedly assaulting his ex-partner and biting an officer at the time of his arrest. The incident took place early this morning at his home, and he is accused of an alleged domestic crime (possibly gender-based violence, according to police sources) and another attack on law enforcement officers. The incident occurred at his home in Arbeca, where Pelegrí, 46, is the mayor.

Officers from the regional police responded after receiving a complaint from his ex-wife, who currently lives outside the municipality but, according to sources close to the case, was present at the time of the arrest. The mayor, who received medical attention immediately after the incident, is now under arrest at the Les Borges Blanques police station awaiting judicial review.

It so happens that the mayor of Arbeca is also the director of the Abat Ruera School in Puiggròs, a neighboring municipality. He has been formally separated from his ex-partner for over a year, with whom he has three children, and they shared custody. In the mid-afternoon, according to the newspaper Segre, his ex-partner, has issued a statement explaining that she has withdrawn the complaint against Pelegrí, and expresses that the events that occurred "cannot be associated with a crime of domestic abuse."

Esquerra has issued a statement suspending his employment and asking him to resign from all his public positions. Pelegrí, who is not a member of ERC, is leading his second term as mayor and is also a member of the Les Garrigues Regional Council. The party considers the events absolutely incompatible with republican values and the exercise of any institutional responsibility. Likewise, Esquerra reaffirms its position of "zero tolerance for any sexist attitude or aggression against authority." For its part, the Compromís por Arbeca group, the local PSC brand, has demanded that Pelegrí "present his immediate resignation as mayor" and promises to support "any alternative mayoral candidate led by Esquerra Republicana."

The Les Garrigues Regional Council, where Pelegrí serves as deputy spokesperson for the ERC group, has issued a similar official statement. The regional body has urged the mayor "to submit his immediate resignation" as councilor, "to preserve the good name of the institution, the trust of the public, and respect for the victims." Although the institution recognizes the right to the presumption of innocence, it considers "the acts for which he has been arrested to be of a serious nature, incompatible with the exercise of public responsibilities within a democratic institution."

Members of the Arbeca municipal government team met today at noon to assess the situation and, for the moment, have not made any decision regarding the mayor's political situation. However, municipal sources warn that, if the reported events are confirmed, "the government team will act accordingly." In this regard, it's worth remembering that a regular municipal plenary session has been called for next Tuesday, and another one for the regional council next Thursday.