Ex-cop, driver caught stealing tire at Naia

MANILA, Philippines–Airport policemen on Wednesday arrested a former policeman and his companion who were believed to be behind the theft of spare tires taken from vehicles parked at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia).

Nomer Pacheco, 37, a former lawman; and driver Richard Fontanilla, 41, were cornered after a chase on MIA Road in front of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines building around 5 a.m.

Chief Supt. Jesus Gordon, head of the Naia police, said a surveillance operation on the parking areas caught the two men in the act of removing a spare from underneath a vehicle. They then loaded the stolen tire in their own vehicle, a Toyota Innova (ZNY-684).

A mobile police team chased the suspects, who in their haste crashed their vehicle into a street barrier. An investigation later revealed they were also the suspects in tire thefts last year at Robinsons Galleria mall in Quezon City.–Niña P. Calleja