Four Irish tourists arrested after beating up taxi driver in Barcelona

Four Irish tourists were arrested near Reus in southern Catalonia on Monday morning after beating up a taxi driver in Barcelona in the early hours of the day, as first reported by 'El Caso' and confirmed by the Catalan News Agency (ACN).

The group of tourists visiting Barcelona had scheduled their return flight for Monday morning from Reus airport, popular for its direct flights to Ireland and the United Kingdom.

The tourists had originally arranged for a traditional taxi to pick them up from their hotel in Barcelona's Raval neighborhood, but changed their minds at the last minute and opted for a vehicle from ride-hailing apps such as Uber or Cabify.

When the conventional taxi arrived, the group of tourists was getting into another vehicle, which caused the taxi driver to get into a heated argument with them, insisting that the trip was rightfully his since they had booked him first.

Tensions escalated when the taxi driver stood in front of the private hire vehicle and prevented them from leaving. At that point, the four Irish men physically assaulted the taxi driver.

The victim contacted the emergency services and reported that the tourists intended to go to Reus airport, where they were arrested by the Catalan police Mossos d'Esquadra on charges of assault.