Former employee steals industrial loader & destroys 50 vans after ramming gate at Mercedes-Benz factory in Spain

Revenge is a dish best served cold. A former factory worker went on a wrecking spree in a stolen mechanical digger at a Mercedes-Benz factory in Spain, causing millions of euro in damage, four years after having left the company.

On Thursday night, a giant machine rammed the gates of a car factory in Vitoria – the main city of the Basque Country in northern Spain – and started smashing brand-new Mercedes vans in the parking lot with its massive shovel.

The wrecking spree went on for several minutes and only came to a stop after a security guard fired a warning shot in the air. It left around 50 vehicles damaged beyond repair, with photos on social media showing vans crumpled and placed of top of each other.

The police arrived and arrested the perpetrator, who the local media described as a “distinguished former Mercedes-Benz worker.” The 38-year-old man was reportedly employed at the factory between 2016 and 2017.

He now faces charges of criminal damage, while the incident is being investigated as a “work-related revenge attack.” The German company and its former employee apparently didn’t part on good terms, since he was clearly still holding a grudge four years later.

The attack also seems to have been carried out in cold blood: the man stole the JCB at a construction site in the town of Legutiano, located 21 kilometers away from Vitoria. The long drive – which, according to police, also caused damage to public roads – would have provided the grudge-bearer with more than enough time to think his actions over. 

Mercedes-Benz said that the cost of the rampage is in the “millions.” But sources cited by local media provided more precise numbers, estimating the damage at between €2 million and €5 million.

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