Hostage taker, mall customer killed in SM Dasmariñas drama
LOS BANOS, Laguna – Two people were killed in a two-hour hostage drama inside an SM mall in Dasmariñas City, Cavite on Sunday.
Suspect Carlo Marcus Lacdao, 32, died after being shot by responding policemen.
The other casualty was a male mall-goer named Roberto Rosales, 48, from Dasmariñas City.
The Cavite police corrected its earlier report identifying Jollabelle Sumalin as a fatality.
In a phone interview, Cavite police chief Sr. Supt. Arthur Bisnar said Lacdao had come from Dulag, Leyte and entered the mall around 12:45 pm.
He was reportedly looking for his wife, Erna, who was working as a janitor assigned at the mall’s restroom.
“(Lacdao) was reportedly jealous of one of his wife’s colleagues,” Bisnar said.
When the suspect could not find his wife, Lacdao began attacking mall-goers with a knife.
Bisnar said those injured were Sumalin, Rodel Lozano, and Michaela Mae Honor. Lacdao then held hostage another woman, identified as Mylene Balajadia.
“We tried to negotiate (for the release of the hostage) but he would not surrender,” Bisnar said.
He said policemen were left with no other choice but to shoot the suspect “in the body.”
Bisnar said the police is reviewing footages from the mall’s security cameras to find out how the suspect was able to bring a knife inside the mall. JE/rga
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