Quezon City cops kill cell-phone robbery suspect

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MANILA, Philippines—Quezon City policemen shot and killed late Saturday afternoon a 36-year-old man who tried to escape after he was arrested for allegedly stealing a mobile phone.

Jojo Soler, a resident of the Gawad Kalinga Espiritu Santo Village, Sitio (settlement) Pajo in Barangay (village) Baesa, died while undergoing treatment at the Quezon City General Hospital (QCGH) from a gunshot wound in the body.

A report from the Quezon City Police District Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (QCPD-CIDU) revealed that the shooting happened around 3 p.m. Saturday along Canada Street near Soler’s home.

Police investigators said that before the shooting, Police Officer 1 Johnny Boy Banza and a colleague from the QCPD District Police Security Battalion were aboard mobile unit QC-142 patrolling the stretch of Edsa in the Barangay Bahay Toro area when an Erwin Balagtas flagged them down.

Balagtas pointed to Soler as having taken his mobile phone prompting Banza and the other policeman to take along the complainant and possibly make an arrest.

The policemen chanced upon Soler along Canada Street where he was playing “cara y cruz,” an illegal gambling game. Banza immediately arrested Soler but he was able to run toward an alley. The DPSB men pursued the suspect and fired at him when he refused to surrender and allegedly tried to shoot at his pursuers.

The wounded Soler was brought to the nearest hospital but was declared dead by QCGH attending doctors at 3:45 p.m. Recovered from Soler was a .38-cal. revolver.