FOUR persons were caught carrying firearms in separate police operations in Toledo city, southwest Cebu.
Operatives of the Toledo City police arrested the armed men while responding to a shooting alarm in barangay Poblacion on Saturday night.
On their way to Poblacion, police flagged down two men on a motorcycle on suspicion that they were involved in the shooting.
Emilio Homecillo, 35, and Julius Tierulf, 25, both residents of barangay Matab-ang, Toledo, tried to escape but were cornered by police.
Police seized a 9mm caliber pistol with six bullets and a grenade from Homecillo, while Tierulf yielded a .45 caliber pistol with five bullets and a grenade.
SPO4 Gil Lastimosa, desk officer of Toledo police, said further investigation will be made to find out if Homecillo and Tierulf were involved in the shooting of 42-year-old trisikad driver Dionito Manayon in Poblacion.
Lastimosa said Manayon, an ex-convict, was rushed to the hospital with a gunshot wound in the head.
Five hours later, Toledo police arrested the two men’s friends in barangay Matab-ang.
Two .38 caliber revolver with five bullets and a grenade were recovered from Jhann Louie de Asis, 26, and Abraham Quimada, 47.
Police said the arrest of Asis and Quimada came after they read text message from Homecillo’s cellphone asking for his whereabouts.
The four men were detained at the Toledo police station pending the filing of charges against them, police said./Correspondent Joy Cherry S. Quito