Dumanjug town police subdue hostage taker

Policemen subdued and arrested a former convict who held hostage a woman inside the Dumanjug police station last Saturday.

Thadeo Camatso, 26, of Lorega, Cebu City, surrendered after he was shot in  the left hip by a policeman.

The hostage victim, Helen Recuerdo,  a friend of one of the policemen who happened to be visiting the office, was released unharmed.

Camatso, who had bruises and cuts on his face, was earlier brought to the station after he climbed on the roof of the house of Evelyn Rosal, a former Dumanjug town councilor.

Rosal, however, didn’t file any complaint against Camatso  so police released him and told him to go home.

Camatso went outside the police station but refused to go home saying he feared for his life.

A few minutes later, he entered the police station and suddenly smashed the jalousie blades of the window.

Camatso then entered Senior Insp. Rolly Lauron’s office where Recuerdo was at that time.

He also took a .45-caliber service pistol from the top of an office table, which he used in holding the woman hostage.

At one point, he asked for the media to be part of the negotiations. He also fired the gun in the air until it ran out of bullets.

Lauron was able to barge into the office and shoot  Camatso in  the hip.

Camatso said he just wanted  to get the attention of the media because he didn’t trust the police.

He claimed that he worked for a drug syndicate and that a certain Nilo  instructed him to to sell drugs in Dumanjug town.

Camatso said he was released last December from  jail where  Nilo  was a fellow inmate.

Camatso is now detained at the Dumanjug police station pending the filing of charges against him.