Elderly woman killed after jumping off jeepney to avoid robber

Lerma Espino, to avoid being robbed inside a jeepney, jumped off the moving vehicle and hit her head on the pavement in Quezon City on the night of Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2012.  VIDEO BY INQUIRER.net’s NOY MORCOSO III

MANILA, Philippines—An elderly female passenger who tried to avoid being robbed inside a jeepney died after she jumped off the moving vehicle and hit her head on the pavement in Quezon City Wednesday night.

Lerma Espino, 63, died on the spot from head injuries while the armed male suspect fled the scene when bystanders began milling around the victim.

A 16-year-old student of De La Salle University who also jumped off the jeepney after the old woman did, was injured, according to case investigator Senior Police Officer 1 Randy Bantillo.

Christian Sembrano of Road 8, Project 6, Quezon City, was rushed to nearby Veterans Memorial Medical Center but was later transferred to St. Luke’s Medical Center.

Both victims were in a public jeepney traveling on Mindanao Avenue near North Avenue when the suspect declared a holdup around 9:40 p.m. Wednesday.

According to Chief Inspector Rodelio Marcelo of the Quezon City Police District’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit, it was not Espino and Sembrano who were being robbed.

But some passengers began shouting for the driver to stop the jeepney, which apparently caused the two victims, who were sitting at the back, to panic and jump off the vehicle.

Witnesses told police that the robber, who appeared to be operating alone, fled on foot and disappeared.