‘Good Samaritan’ becomes victim: Off-duty cop gets mauled, loses gun

An off-duty policeman who was trying to do a good deed when he rushed to help a friend in need instead got some serious beating and lost a pistol to four still unidentified men early dawn yesterday in the downtown area.

PO2 Jose Randel Buscato, who is detailed at the Pardo Police Station, was riding a motorcycle when he was stopped by a friend at Pelaez St.

The policeman said that he recognized the man who asked for his help and pointed to four young men, who all wore black shirts, as those who harassed him earlier.

Buscato got off his bike, approached the four men and introduced himself as a policeman.

This did not however seem to scare the four men as one of them retorted, “Ngano man diay’g polis ka?”

It was at that instant that they started punching Buscato, who pulled out a pistol to fire a warning shot.

This also did not work as one of the four men grappled with the policeman and took the gun from him.

Realizing that he was sorely outnumbered and already without his weapon, Buscato decided to flee, but was chased by the four men.

When he was cornered at corner Pelaez and P. del Rosario Sts., the four continued to maul Buscato until people who were hanging out at the area intervened and the four men fled on board a passing jeepney.

Buscato called for police assistance, but the responding Mobile Patrol Group and elements of the Parian Police Station failed to catch the perpetrators.

Taken from the victim was a .45 caliber Norinco pistol with serial number BA01605, which he personally owned.

Sr. Supt. Patrocinio Comendador told reporters that Buscato has no liabilities with regards to the gun, because it is his personal firearm but said he already ordered the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Branch to investigate the incident.

 “We will determine what really happened whether the report (responded to an alarm) was true or not. However, if the investigation revealed that it is not true then we’ll throw the book upon him and probably be facing administrative cases, but if we found out the facts are true then we’ll go after these men and file the necessary charges,” Comendador said.  (/NLQ)