4 nabbed, charged in mauling incident

Four men, including two brothers, were arrested and charged on Friday after being tagged in the mauling of a man and his nephew inside a computer shop in Quezon City.

Case investigator Senior Police Officer 1 Eric Lazo identified those arrested as Jonel Meralpis, 21, Sandra Dapat, 21, and brothers James Salas, 21, and Roy, 28, all of 27 Vincent St., Barangay (village) Holy Spirit, Quezon City.

The four suspects were subjected to inquest proceedings on charges of conspiracy to commit murder after they were arrested during follow-up operations.

They were among 14 persons who allegedly mauled a 28-year-old man and his nephew early this week.

The four were arrested at their homes on Friday by operatives of the Quezon City Police District’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit led by Insp. Elmer Monsalve.

They were positively identified as among those who mauled and killed Joemer Daguna, 28, and wounded his nephew, Francisco Carao, 18, on Wednesday night inside the Sungold Computer Shop on Odigal St., Barangay Commonwealth.

The computer shop’s owner also accused the gang of 14 of robbing his establishment of a still undetermined amount of cash.

James, a jeepney driver, claimed that he was driving his jeepney that night when some people pelted his vehicle with stones.

Irked, James sought the help of his friends who accompanied him in waiting for the perpetrators on Odigal Street.

One of the victims, Carao, recalled a commotion in the area and decided to check it out.

Carao claimed that he or his friends were not the ones pelting stones at James’s jeepney, but the other group ran after them.

Carao and his friends ran and hid inside the computer shop where his uncle, Daguna was playing online games.

Police said the suspects chased them and ganged up on the uncle and his nephew.

Daguna was stabbed in the upper body while Carao sustained wounds in his left arm. Both were rushed to the East Avenue Medical Center but Daguna died before receiving treatment.

The owner of the jeepney which James was driving pointed authorities to the brothers’ house, leading to the four suspects’ arrest.