Robber caught after attack on UP campus

A man was arrested on Monday morning after he allegedly robbed a student of the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City.

Jacklyn Nicole Cua, 21, suffered wounds in the arm and hand after Matthew Honrada tried to stab her and then made off with her bag. Security guards who were alerted by the victim’s screams gave chase and caught her attacker as he was trying to escape.

Initial reports from the Anonas police station showed that Honrada, a resident of Barangay (village) Holy Spirit, tried to rob Cua at a parking lot between the College of Business Administration and Vinzons’ Hall at 9 a.m. on Monday. Case investigator Senior Police Officer 1 Manuel Carranza said Cua had just alighted from her car when Honrada walked up to her, asked her for directions and then tried to stab her.

The victim, however, managed to deflect his thrusts although he fled with her bag. After he was caught, authorities recovered a knife and the victim’s bag, which contained her wallet and other belongings.

The police are preparing to file robbery with attempted homicide charges against Honrada in the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office.—Julie M. Aurelio