Police have arrested a man and are searching for another suspect after a 62-year-old man was assaulted in Sliema early on Thursday morning.
A police spokesperson confirmed with Times of Malta that officers had responded to a distress call on the Sliema seafront, close to George Bonello Dupuis garden, where they found a man who told them he had been assaulted by two people.
The police were able to apprehend one man and during the course of the arrest, a knife was found in the vicinity of the alleged aggressor. The suspect is being questioned by the police and investigations are ongoing to determine whether the knife belonged to him, the spokesperson said.
In a Facebook post, Louis Spiteri, the victim of the assault, said he had been enjoying his morning run when one of two men sitting on a bench got up and punched him in the face.
“Out of the blue and without provocation, one of them got up and punched me in the face so hard, that he threw me away on the grass. While I started shouting for help, these two guys ran away. I was shocked, my head buzzing and terrified,” Spiteri said.
He added that two men walking close-by had seen the altercation and gave chase, managing to apprehend the man who was promptly arrested by the police, who arrived shortly after.
“I might have been very lucky today, as it could have been much worse for me,” Spiteri continued.
“I am 62 yrs old, and every morning I enjoy going out for a walk or a jog. Can I still do this? Is Sliema promenade safe anymore?”
“All this happened at 7.15 am when the promenade is busy with joggers. Do we need more police patrolling or walking this promenade, so we can feel safe again?”
When contacted by Times of Malta, Spiteri said that he was being examined medically following the assault.
Just last week, Sliema mayor John Pillow was assaulted when a man hurled a can at him, striking him in the face. The attack happened after the mayor asked a woman to stop urinating in public.
Pillow has also called for increased police presence in Sliema following the incident.
Police presence must be beefed up - PN MP
In reaction to the incident, Nationalist Party MP Graham Bencini said that the police presence in the area needed to be stepped up.
“Clearly, we need to beef up police resources and have more patrols. This week, I tabled a parliamentary question about patrols on the Sliema promenade as well as the level of available police resources in the Sliema, St. Julians and Swieqi police stations,” he said.
Bencini said that while the police did their best with the resources available to them, more police patrols were needed immediately. “Public safety and public well-being have to be our primary concern. Enough words. We need immediate action,” he insisted.