Suspect kicked by mayor dies in ‘gun-grab’

It happened just as “predicted” by some of the online comments that greeted the arrest last week of crime suspect Mark Soque: That he’ll try to “grab a gun” and his time under police custody will be cut short as a result.

But nobody expected that Soque—who was arrested for eight robberies, three counts of rape and the cold-blooded killing of a Korean woman in one of the restaurants he allegedly robbed—would be shot dead by a female officer, who also happens to be a martial arts practitioner.

The 29-year-old suspect was shot in the jaw by PO3 Juvy Jumuad late Monday night when he reached for her holstered Glock 40 pistol while they were on the fourth floor hallway of the Quezon City Hall of Justice, according to the Quezon City Police District (QCPD). Jumuad and three male officers were then escorting Soque for inquest proceedings at a prosecutor’s office.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Jumuad said she was part of the four-member team from the QCPD-Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit that presented Soque around 11:25 p.m. before Assistant City Prosecutor Nanette Austria.

Early in the proceedings, only the three other officers were actually inside Austria’s office, while she and Soque were made to wait outside.

Soque, whose hands were cuffed in front and was seated next to Jumuad on one of the hallway benches, suddenly told her that he needed to use the toilet.

As the policewoman raised her hand to signal to the other escorts and ask them to accompany Soque to the men’s room, the suspect suddenly grabbed and managed to pull out her pistol from the holster on her right hip.

In the ensuing struggle, the gun went off twice: The first bullet almost grazed Jumuad, while the second hit Soque in his lower jaw.

“I didn’t want to kill him, but I had to defend myself and the people around me,” a soft-spoken Jumuad, 38, said when presented to the media.

She admitted feeling some guilt as it was the first time she had fatally shot someone. But fielding questions later, Jumuad said: “At least his female victims now know that the person who abused them is gone.”

Joining the police service in 2001, Jumuad was formerly assigned to the QCPD Special Weapons and Tactics team before joining the CIDU last year. A black-belter, she had joined local and international competitions, including an Asia-Pacific tournament for Pencak Silat, an Indonesian martial art, where she bagged the gold.

Monday night’s inquest was already the third for Soque, who was arrested Thursday last week. He underwent the same process on Friday for the robbery and killing of Korean national Mi-kyung Park at Bean Leaf café in Barangay Holy Spirit, and again on Saturday for another robbery, according to QCPD-CIDU head Chief Insp. Rodelio Marcelo.

Soque’s arrest was hailed by the Korean Embassy. Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista was later caught on camera punching and kicking the man when he was brought to the police station.

Asked why Soque’s hands were cuffed in front of his body and not at the back during the inquest, QCPD director Chief Supt. Joel Pagdilao explained that it was for suspects to be able to sign documents during such proceedings.

As far as Pagdilao could recall, it was the first gun-grabbing incident to involve a QCPD detainee. Jumuad and the rest of the escort team would be receiving commendations for being able to “control the situation,” he added.

Jumuad maintained that there were other people in the hallway who could back up her story. Austria’s staff members confirmed that Soque was brought there Monday night and that their boss holds nighttime inquests from 7 p.m. onwards. Austria was on leave on Tuesday and was unavailable for comment.

According to CIDU homicide section head Insp. Elmer Monsalve, the incident was witnessed by Assistant City Prosecutor Reynaldo Garcia, whose office is near Austria’s and who has expressed willingness to testify for Jumuad. Garcia, however, was in a seminar and could not be reached for an interview.

On Tuesday, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) said it would conduct an investigation into Soque’s death.

“International human rights (and) legal standards require that for each unnatural death, there must be an inquiry to make sure that it was not arbitrary or extrajudicial,” said CHR spokesperson Marc Titus Cebreros.

“Since the fiscal himself saw what happened, the circumstances would be clarified and foul play or negligence can be ruled out,” Cebreros said.

With reports from Julie M. Aurelio and Rima Granali