Policeman injured in anti-piracy raid

A policeman was hurt when a vendor banged the glass door of his store against the approaching lawmen during a raid on pirated compact discs (CDs), video compact discs (VCDs) and digital videodisc (DVDs) along Osmeña Boulevard last Friday.

Homicide Section of the Cebu City Police Office identified the injured policeman as PO1 Harrifel Espinosa who is assigned at the Regional Mobile Group based in Sibonga town.

Espinosa and his group led by Inspector Jason Perallag were deputized by the Optical Media Board to accompany its three agents - Dean Perez, Manuel Mangubat and Deogracias Ebuen - for the raid.

SPO3 Alex Dacua of the Homicide Section said that based on his investigation, Espinosa approached the stalls displaying pirated VCDs and DVDs at the Cebu Market Center in barangay Kalubihan when the commotion happened.

After introducing himself as policeman, an unidentified vendor quickly tried to close the glass door of his store, breaking the glass and injuring the policeman.

Espinosa suffered cuts in his left lower jaw, right wrist, right thigh and right leg. He was rushed to Cebu City Medical Center while the vendor immediately escaped.

Vendors who have detected the approaching raiding team early managed to close their stores and fled. But those who failed to notice the lawmen just quickly escaped, leaving their stalls. - Edwin Ian Melecio