SWAT cop in hot water

The Minglanilla police are again in the news, but this time, they are the ones complaining.

This after an allegedly drunk member of the Special Weapon and Tactics team of the Cebu City Police Office allegedly punched a policeman on duty at the Minglanilla police station early yesterday.

PO3 Leovil Estrada, a resident of Minglanilla town was detained for a few hours yesterday at the Minglanilla police station after he was dropped off by a taxi driver at the police station after seeing that his sleeping passenger had a gun tucked into his pants.

Minglanilla police chief Insp. Carlos Reyes yesterday said that Estrada was so drunk when he went home yesterday dawn from Cebu City.

Estrada's companions put him inside the taxi and paid the driver P150 to take the policeman to Minglanilla.

When he saw the gun, the quick-thinking driver decided to take Estrada to the police station instead fearing that he might get into trouble if he wakes up his passenger when they would reach his destination.

When P03 Alfredo Pagaling tried to wake Estrada up at the police station, the SWAT member got mad and punched the policeman in the face.

Reyes said that he immediately ordered to have Estrada disarmed and had him detained him for two and a half hours.

When Cebu Provincial Police Office director Supt. Vicente Loot was informed of the incident, he ordered Reyes to turn Estrada over to his direct superior. This does not however mean Estrada is free to go since he will be investigated and slapped administrative sanctions for his behavior. - Flor Z. Perolina