Cop kills man who took 2 kids hostage in bus in Pampanga

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—(UPDATE) An off-duty policeman shot dead a man who held hostage two children inside a bus cruising along the North Luzon Expressway in Pampanga on Monday.

Chief Superintendent Edgardo Ladao, Central Luzon police director, said the two children—a one-year-old girl (not 2 years old as earlier reported) girl from Mexico, Pampanga, and a five-year-old (not 4 years old) boy from Dasol, Pangasinan—were unhurt but police took them for debriefing.

Ladao said Police Officer 2 Eduardo Santiago suffered stab wounds as he fought it out with the hostage-taker, identified as Sidro Brine, 44.

Ladao said Brine, his four companions and a five-year-old child boarded the Five Star bus in Pasay City. The bus (license plate AWA 773) was bound for Alaminos City in Pangasinan.

Brine’s group came from Catarman, Northern Samar, Ladao said.

Senior Superintendent Sheldon Jacaban, chief of the police’s Highway Patrol Group in the region, said Brine announced the hostage-taking at 1:30 p.m. and ordered the driver to park the bus at the emergency bay of NLEx’s Kilometer 75 in Barangay (village) Camuning in Mexico, Pampanga.

Another Five Star bus, which came from Cubao, Quezon City and bound for Dagupan City, arrived after 10 minutes to check on the first bus.

The driver of the second bus initially thought the first bus suffered mechanical trouble. Santiago, who was on the second bus, sensed the commotion in the other bus and negotiated with Brine, who was armed with a knife.

Jacaban said Brine did not know that Santiago is a policeman because the latter was in civilian clothes and his firearm was concealed.

Brine agreed to release the other passengers but kept the two children as hostages when Santiago offered to drive him to Barangay Balibago in Angeles City.

When Santiago took control of the bus, he drove it toward Mabalacat, instead of Angeles City.

Jacaban said that when the bus reached Barangay Mabiga in Mabalacat, it was bumped from the rear by another bus.

“At that moment, [Brine] tried to stab the hostages, prompting [Santiago] to act and shoot the suspect,” he said.

Ladao said he was recommending Santiago for promotion. “He acted beyond the call of duty,” he said.

Santiago, a resident of San Pablo City in Laguna, is a member of the Pangasinan police.

Originally posted at 04:08 pm | Monday, May 30, 2011