Off-duty Malabon cop kills bus robber trying to stab passenger

By: Jeannette I. Andrade - 11 years ago

[wpgmappity id=”1400″]

MANILA, Philippines – An off-duty Malabon City policeman shot and killed on Saturday midnight one of two passenger bus robbers, saving a female passenger whom the bandit tried to stab when she refused to hand over her valuables in Quezon City.

Police Officer 1 Christian Santos, assigned with the Northern Police District’s Malabon City station, rescued a fellow passenger of the northbound Metro Link bus (UDY-772) by shooting the knife-wielding suspect later identified as Liberato Magno, 21, of San Roque 2 in Barangay (village) Pagasa.

Magno, who was badly wounded, and his unidentified accomplice, were able to get off the bus but Magno collapsed on the pavement and died a few meters away. His cohort was able to complete his escape.

Santos submitted himself to the investigation of the Quezon City Police District Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (QCPD-CIDU) and surrendered his 9mm pistol to the Crime Laboratory.

PO2 Louie Serbito, case investigator, said that the incident happened shortly past Saturday midnight inside the Metro Link bus along the northbound lane of EDSA near the Phil-Am Homes in Barangay Pagasa.

Serbito said that Santos was on the bus, driven by Ronnie Corido, along with several other passengers when two men boarded the vehicle while it was on the loading bay at the corner of Aurora Boulevard and Edsa in Cubao.

When the bus reached the part of Edsa near Phil-Am Homes, the two men directed Corido to stop and open the doors before brandishing knives and announcing the hold-up.

While one of the men poked a knife at the driver, the other started divesting passengers of their valuables. When the suspect ordered a 28-year-old woman to hand over her bag, she refused, drawing the robber’s ire.

Instinctively the Malabon City policeman drew his pistol and fired repeatedly at the robber who was moving to stab the woman with a knife. The other suspect got off the bus and ran followed by his wounded cohort, later identified as Magno. The wounded man keeled over on the pavement and subsequently died, left behind by the other suspect.

Scene of the Crime Operatives recovered three bullet casings for a 9mm pistol and the valuables stolen by the suspects from the passengers.