Italian man dies after police restraint in Barcelona; Rome prosecutor opens investigation
Samuele Spinelli, 28, died in Barcelona on 1 June after being restrained face-down for 40 minutes and injected with a sedative. His family alleges excessive force and has prompted investigations in Spain and Italy.
The incident in Barcelona
On 29 May 2026, Samuele Spinelli, a 28-year-old from Florence, entered a store in central Barcelona in a visibly agitated and confused state, as shown by surveillance footage. He was running, and behind him were three people in civilian clothes who appeared to be following him. Store security and later a patrol of the Mossos d'Esquadra, the Catalan police, intervened. Spinelli was taken to a back room, where over the next hour and 16 minutes, up to seven people, private security, plainclothes officers, and uniformed police, restrained him face down on the floor. His hands and feet were bound with zip ties, and at least two individuals sat on him to keep him immobilized.
Medical intervention and death
After about 30 minutes of restraint, medical personnel arrived. According to the family's lawyer, Diego Capano, Spinelli was given a pharmacological restraint: he was injected with midazolam, a sedative. Shortly afterward, he went into cardiac arrest. The officers then removed the zip ties, turned him onto his back, and paramedics began resuscitation efforts, including cardiac massage and assisted ventilation. Spinelli was transported to Hospital de Mar in a coma. He never regained consciousness and was declared dead on 1 June. The hospital listed the cause of death as multi-organ failure. Toxicological tests reportedly found traces of methamphetamine in his blood, leading Catalan doctors to hypothesize an overdose.
- Spinelli enters a Barcelona store in an agitated state, chased by three people.
- Seven people restrain him face down, hands and feet tied with zip ties.
- Medical staff inject midazolam; shortly after, cardiac arrest occurs.
- Resuscitated and taken to hospital in a coma.
- Spinelli declared dead; hospital cites multi-organ failure.
Family's doubts and the investigations
Spinelli's family traveled from Florence to Barcelona and saw his body at the hospital. His cousin, Peter Rossi, described the condition:
He was full of bruises, scratches, he was swollen. I didn't even recognize him at the Hospital de Mar. Then, a few hours after we arrived from Florence, he died.
The family noted marks on his back, wrists, and under his chin, and they question the overdose explanation. They filed a complaint with Italian authorities, prompting the Rome prosecutor's office to open a file against unknown persons and order a second autopsy in Italy. A separate investigation is underway in Spain. Capano stated:
Samuele was in a state of agitation and needed help. Instead he was held on the ground for 40 minutes, which should never happen. Then the medical maneuvers went on for 33 minutes according to the footage we saw.
The lawyer also said that the footage shows Spinelli was given a pharmacological restraint and then suffered cardiac arrest.
Who was Samuele Spinelli
Spinelli, who used the artistic name "Squalo," was in Barcelona to shoot a music video. He loved rap and spoke five languages, including Arabic and Russian. He had worked for years abroad as a butler for wealthy families in London, the United Arab Emirates, and Uzbekistan. His funeral took place two days ago in the Galluzzo district of Florence, where his family lives.
Next steps
Both the Spanish judicial authority and the Rome prosecutor are now investigating. The family awaits the results of the autopsies performed in Barcelona and Florence. The footage from the store's surveillance cameras has been acquired by investigators. The case remains open, with no charges filed so far.
