Crepe Vendor Stitched After Punch in Festival Power Dispute

Ernesto Ledesma, a well-known Argentine crepe vendor who operates a mobile stand from Encamp and attends Andorra's major festivals, needed six internal and six external stitches to his lip after a French street vendor punched him in the face during Arinsal's festa major on Friday night. Police have confirmed the suspect's identification and arrest in connection with the assault, which stemmed from a dispute over an unauthorized electrical connection.

Ledesma had legally installed a meter 13 years ago at the base of the Arinsal telecabina, which he pays Nord Andorra directly to use. He connected his stand on Thursday after the energy provider activated the supply. Friday afternoon, he found an unauthorized cable from a nearby food truck run by the French man, around 50 years old and a frequent festival attendee but not an Andorran resident.

After checking with festival commission staff and Nord Andorra representatives—who had already alerted police—Ledesma disconnected the cable and left a note marking it as belonging to "Creperia Ernesto." Around 9:50 p.m., as he served customers during the botifarra event following the Marrades cheese chase, the vendor approached. Ledesma said the man accused him of taking sales spots at other festivals, demanded electricity, and threatened to cut his power.

The argument turned physical when the man allegedly opened Ledesma's truck door without permission, struck him, told a worker filming the incident to record it, threatened the employee, and threw items from the counter. The punch caused heavy bleeding from the lip injury. Festival organizers, Nord Andorra staff, and commission members pressed Ledesma to close and get medical help at the hospital.

Police took the suspect into custody on charges of assault against physical integrity. Nord Andorra has confirmed the meter's validity. Ledesma shut his stand for the weekend due to the injuries and plans to pursue compensation. He described past rivalries with the vendor, dismissed talk of his own generator as irrelevant, thanked social media supporters, and expressed faith that the matter will be clarified and justice served.