British man is arrested in Leeds on suspicion of stabbing a man to death in alleged road rage incident in Spain

A British man suspected of stabbing a teenager to death in a Costa del Sol road rage incident has been arrested in the UK.

The 21-year-old, who has not been identified, was arrested on the outskirts of Leeds, in Yorkshire, today.

He had been at the centre of a five-week manhunt that began on November 18 after the stabbing in Estapona, 15 miles west of Marbella, in Spain.

Victim Ulrich Perez, 19, died after being stabbed in the heart on a zebra crossing as he returned home from a supermarket.  

Ulrich Perez, 19, was found stabbed in the chest on November 18 after he had reprimanded the driver of a Mercedes 

He was said to have been attacked by a man in a white Mercedes he had recriminated for driving too fast.

A Spanish National Police spokesman said today: 'We can confirm the arrest yesterday of a British man aged 21 in Yorkshire.

'He has been arrested on suspicion of killing a 19-year-man who was fatally stabbed near a shopping centre in Diana Park close to Estepona.

'The homicide happened on November 18 around 2.30pm. The fatal stabbing was linked to a road rage argument.

'Police investigations determined that the victim was about to cross a zebra crossing when he was almost run over by a vehicle whose driver had to brake sharply.

'The driver initially left the scene but returned moments after and got out of his car and stabbed the pedestrian in the heart without warning, ending his life virtually instantly before speeding off.

The incident took place outside the Diana Centre, in an area known as Diana Park off the dual-carriageway running between the Costa del Sol resorts of Marbella and Estepona

'Nothing could be done to save the victim’s life and he was pronounced dead at the scene.' 

The car the murder suspect was driving was seized in November on the Costa del Sol. Police said today it was going to be transported back to the UK.

A court in Estepona issued a European arrest warrant for the suspect after he was identified and police discovered he had fled Spain and returned to the UK.

The Spanish National Police in Malaga said in a statement: 'The British authorities have confirmed the suspect was held on Tuesday afternoon when he was driving on the A58 near Leeds.

'He was taken into police custody so the extradition process can begin.

'The detainee has a police record for drugs crimes and is known to police in the area where he lived in the UK where he had a reputation as a problematic and aggressive man.' 

The vehicle was found at an undisclosed location in Estepona near the Costa del Sol resort of Marbella

Earlier this month an expat English-language newspaper incorrectly reported the man being hunted by Spanish police had been held.

The detainee has not yet been named. 

Perez, a cinema worker, was pronounced dead at the scene at around 2.30pm.   

Perez is understood to have been heading back from a local supermarket to the home he shared with his parents and two siblings when he was attacked. 

Local reports said one of the people who went to his aid was his mum.

The youngster's great aunt Herminia Martinez took to Facebook to say: 'At times we feel as if God has abandoned us and we ask why the Lord took you or you want to have that person who hurt your son or your daughter in front of you to ask them why they did what they did and committed such cruelty.

The knife attack occurred outside The Diana Centre in an area known as Diana Park off the dual-carriageway running between the Costa del Sol resorts of Marbella and Estepona

'I imagine that when that happens we also want to die with our son or daughter, because the pain must be so great that we don't think about anything else. You can't believe what's happening. We think it's a nightmare.

'A mad man, a stupid man snatched your life away from you and you are in another dimension with your great-grandparents who loved you so much. Rest in peace.'

Locals have launched a campaign to help Ulrich's family with funeral costs and put collection pots in shops near the home he shared with his parents and two brothers.

A poster circulating on social media with a photo of the teenager says: 'Last Wednesday 19-year-old Ulrich was stabbed to death near his home after recriminating the driver of a car who nearly ran him over on a zebra crossing.

'We ask for your help, even if it's just a euro.'