Cops probe death of teen who jumped out of police car in Cabanatuan City

CCTV footage shows the three teenagers boarding the police car after they were accosted for reportedly violating the curfew in Cabanatuan City. (Contributed)

CABANATUAN CITY, Nueva Ecija — Authorities in this city are investigating the death of a 17-year-old boy who reportedly jumped out of a police mobile after he and his two companions were accosted for allegedly violating the curfew on Monday, Nov. 8.

Lt. Col. Julius Caesar Manucdoc, city police chief, did not identify the two policemen pending the result of the probe, adding that the lawmen were placed under restricted police custody.

Initial reports showed that the victim, his 18-year-old brother and their niece were asked to board the mobile patrol and were told that they would be taken back to their village by the policemen.

Footage from a security camera showed that the three freely boarded the mobile patrol.

Manucdoc said the three teenagers were no longer inside the vehicle when it reached the police station.

Citing the investigators, Manucdoc said the three jumped out of the car, causing them to get injured.

The policemen found the three lying on the street, prompting the lawmen to take them to the hospital.

“Unfortunately, one of them.was declared dead upon arrival [at the hospital],” Manucdoc said, referring to the younger brother.

Laut Saripada, father of the two boys, said the three earlier attended a birthday party of a classmate but were later invited by friends to visit the wake of the mother of another classmate.

Citing the account of his elder son, Saripada said the policemen offered to drop them off somewhere in their village.

“Ngayon ‘pag tapat nila dito sa babaan, pumara raw sila. ‘Kuya, kuya dito na lang po kami eh parang walang narinig daw yung mga pulis’,” Saripada  said.

When they again pleaded, one of the policemen allegedly said: “Magsitigil kayo kung hindi papatayin ko kayo!”

But Manucdoc said the mobile patrol has a glass partition between the driver’s compartment and the passengers’ compartment, which could be the reason the policemen could not hear the three.

JPV