The motorist who shot dead a traffic enforcer in Quezon City last Friday has been arrested in a follow-up operation in Aparri, Cagayan.
READ: Suspect in slay of traffic enforcer nabbed
Tracker teams composed of members of Quezon City and Cagayan Police arrested mechanic Geronimo “Jhun” Iquin, 46, in the hotel where he was hiding in Barangay (village) Macanaya around 11:45 p.m. Monday.
Iquin shot and ran over traffic enforcer Ernesto Paras Jr. on Friday morning at the corner of La Salle Street and Ermin Garcia Street in Brgy. Silangan, Cubao, over an issue on double parking.
A closed-circuit television footage showed Paras removing the license plate of a black car double parked along the street. When Iquin arrived in the area, he engaged in an altercation with the enforcer. He then took a gun from his car and shot Paras several times. Paras tried to run but Iquin chased him and ran over the enforcer as he fled.
“As I assured the grieving family of Mr. Paras, after he was killed, we would leave no stone unturned to hunt him down as soon as possible. I am glad that our personnel have not let us down. Not only that, they have rapidly rendered justice to the poor victim who was only doing his job,” Senior Supt. Guillermo Eleazar, QCPD chief, said in a statement.
Eleazar said Iquin was staying at Extreme Diesel Calibration Center along Blk. 1, Lot 6 on Commonwealth Avenue, Don Enriquez Heights, Brgy. Holy Spirit, Quezon City but was from Larion Alto, Tuguegarao, Cagayan Valley.
After the incident, continuous follow-up investigation was conducted by investigation officers from the QCPD’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group. A composite sketch of the suspect’s face was also formed from facial descriptions provided by a witness.
On Saturday morning, police found the black car Iquin used at Lot 17, Knight of Columbus, Brgy. San Roque in Antipolo City, the address of the suspect’s cousin. Iquin’s cousin told authorities that her relative abandoned the car there past Friday noon.
READ: Car suspect in traffic enforcer’s slay found in Antipolo City
Hot pursuit operations were then conducted by tracker teams in hunting down the suspect, reaching San Miguel, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Viscaya, Isabela all the way to Cagayan, particularly Tuguegarao and Aparri, resulting in the arrest of Iquin. TVJ/rga