Rookie cop yields after father-in-law tagged him in robbery

Call it the long arm of the father-in-law.

A rookie policeman turned himself in to the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) after his father-in-law, a retired lawman, linked him to a public market robbery earlier this week.

QCPD director Chief Supt. Mario de la Vega said PO1 Jonathan Barredo surrendered Wednesday afternoon after his in-law, whom he identified only as retired Superintendent Felipe, alleged that the young officer stole the license plate of a sport utility vehicle owned by Felipe’s son and attached it to another SUV that was used in the Dec. 19 heist.

Felipe claimed that Barredo took the plate from his son’s Mitsubishi Montero (NOW-246) and put it on another Montero that was later recovered by the police after the robbery that took place at Suki Market in Barangay (village) Sta. Teresita.

Barredo, a former member of the Highway Patrol Group, reportedly went absent without leave (AWOL) prior to his surrender.

Supt. Osmundo de Guzman, commander of the QCPD La Loma station, said the second Montero was tagged as one of the getaway vehicles used by four armed robbers who held up stall owner Marilou Gubat at Suki Market.

Gubat lost P100,000 in the robbery while security guard Richard Mallon was wounded in an ensuing shootout.

The robbers left behind two motorcycles and were seen fleeing the scene in the second Montero. A suspect, Charlie Mamalayan, was later arrested in Calamba City, Laguna province, and was tagged by Mallon as one of the robbers.

QCPD deputy director for operations Senior Supt. Neri Ilagan said Gubat’s cell phone and a 9-mm pistol were recovered from Mamalayan.