Arrested man killed inside police car

MANILA, Philippines – A man arrested on Friday night in Quezon City for killing a young girl was shot dead hours later after he allegedly grabbed a policeman’s gun while he was supposedly being driven to a hospital for a medical check-up. The man was handcuffed and was seated between two officers in the car’s back seat.

Senior Police Offcier 1 Cristituto Zaldarriaga, case investigator, said Ruel Jabal, 21, was arrested shortly after he stabbed to death 12-year-old Percy delos Santos around 11:40 p.m. on Cattleya Street in Barangay (village) Bahay Toro, Project 8.

Police learned that the victim’s father had just arrived home that night and had given her money to buy some food.

Jabal was seen lurking in the area and approached the victim, who was buying bread and sodas at a nearby store. The girl ran away out of fear but the suspect chased the girl and grabbed her by the hair. He then smashed the girl’s face on the pavement and stabbed her six times, Zaldarriaga said.

The girl died enroute to the Veterans Memorial Medical Center while Jabal was quickly arrested by responding policemen.

Zaldarriaga said the suspect was being taken to the Quezon City General Hospital for a check-up aboard a patrol car accompanied by SPO1 Christian Bajen, PO3 Mario Palic, PO3 Roque Geraldez and a fourth unidentified officer at around 3:10 a.m.

Although Jabal was handcuffed, and seated in the back between Bajen and the unidentified officer, he was supposedly able to grab the service firearm of Geraldez, who was driving the car.

Palic, who was in the front passenger seat, quickly reacted to the threat and fired a shot, hitting the suspect in the right temple, Zaldarriaga said.

Inspector Elmer Monsalve, homicide section chief, said they were investigating the policemen’s claims.