13 arrested and five guns seized after mass brawl outside Madrid's Plaza Castilla courts

A violent brawl between two family clans ended with 13 arrests and the seizure of five firearms and several knives outside the Plaza Castilla courts in Madrid.

## Broad daylight confrontation

Last Friday, the area around the **Plaza Castilla** courts, in Madrid's **Tetuán** district, became the scene of a violent confrontation. At around **12:10 pm** on **18 September**, a call alerted the National Police to a crowd involved in a fight, some carrying bladed weapons. The first patrols sent to the scene, on **José Castán Tobeñas** street, found those involved in the middle of the brawl. On noticing the police presence, many tried to flee, scattering in different directions.

## Weapons and improvised hiding places

During the intervention, officers saw two men attempting to hide a backpack between two parked vehicles. Inside the bag, they found two firearms, a revolver and a pistol, along with six cartridges. Other participants took refuge in nearby establishments such as the **Viena Capellanes** café at number **55 Poeta Joan Maragall** street, or **Casa Sotero**, while others fled towards **Infanta Mercedes** street. The search for more weapons led officers to inspect planters on the terrace of **Casa Sotero**, where they found a knife, and in the restrooms of **Viena Capellanes**, where two more firearms were found, allegedly hidden there.

## Arrests and silence

The operation ended with the arrest of **13 people**, ten men and three women, aged between **21 and 53**. They face alleged charges of affray and illegal weapons possession. Four of those arrested were later remanded in custody on the orders of the duty judge. Despite the scale of the incident and the number of weapons seized — five firearms, ammunition, several magazines, four knives and a large knife — those involved remained silent before officers, without revealing what triggered the violent clash between the two family clans.