Scream leads police to thief posing as driver in stolen cab
Talk about pushing your luck.
Using the taxi cab he had just taken at gunpoint from its driver, a robber posed as a cabbie and held up his female passenger in Makati City Tuesday morning.
However, Artemio Aquino’s luck ran out when his would-be victim’s scream for help attracted the attention of a passing police car at 5:30 a.m. on Metropolitan Avenue near the Ospital ng Makati in Barangay (village) Bel-Air.
He tried to flee in the stolen taxi cab but the police caught up with him and placed him under arrest.
Seized from the 32-year-old Aquino were a .38-cal. pistol, an ice pick, several identification cards, a police badge and ID, and a wig.
Also recovered were the valuables he took from his last victim, Sharon Labian, a restaurant supervisor, according to Senior Superintendent Manuel Lukban, Makati police chief.
During investigation, the police learned that Aquino had stolen the Ryan Patrick taxi cab (TLK 506) he was driving.
Case investigator Senior Police Officer 2 Voltaire Esguerra said that the driver of the cab, Juanito Patiga, later showed up at the Makati police station with his head still bleeding.
Patiga said that Aquino hit him on the head with a gun and then forced him to alight from his taxi cab in front of Robinsons Place in Manila at 5 a.m. Tuesday.
The robber also took his cash amounting to P800 and a cell phone, he added.
According to the Makati police, Aquino was also believed to be responsible for two other robbery cases, including that of a woman who was held up and shot on Kalayaan Avenue two weeks ago.
Meanwhile, Chief Supt. Benito Estipona, Southern Police District director, commended the Makati police for their speedy response. “The robber would have victimized more if the Makati police were not at the scene patrolling,” he said.
He reminded the policemen to use their patrol car’s blinkers to warn criminals and at the same time let the public know that they are just nearby.
