City Police’s A-Shot nabs suspected gang head

Weeks after the creation of the Anti-Street Hoodlums Operating Teams (A-Shot) by the Cebu City Police Office, this special unit had arrested the suspected leader of a street gang at barangay Zapatera on Tuesday night.

The anti-gang team arrested 20-year-old Jason Jumao-as from his house at Alcohol Street in Zapatera, and confiscated from him a .38 caliber revolver with five live bullets, and a couple of alleged drug paraphernalia.

“Sinugdanan palang ni,” said George Ylanan, chief of the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Bureau, some operatives of which are members A-Shot together with those of the Theft and Robbery Section, and Homicide Section of the City Police.

Ylanan, together with Sr. Insp. Chyrel Ramos, Chief Insp. Arnel Banzon and A-Shot operatives, went to the house of Jumao-as with a search warrant issued by Judge Anatalio Necesario for violation of Republic Act 8294, or the law against illegal possession of firearm, ammunitions and explosives.

Ylanan, in a press conference yesterday, said that Jumao-as has been a suspect in a series of shooting incident at Alcohol Street that has been known to be the “territory” of the street gang Crips.

“It’s known that Alcohol Street – lugar kana sa mga Crips diin diha sila tanan magtapok. Diha sila mag-inom unya kung mangahubog, diha na silang time nga mangita og gubot,” said Ylanan, adding that even residents and barangay officials had complained to the police and wanted Jumao-as out from their barangay.

A-Shot has a profile of many suspected hoodlums, especially those at the areas in barangays Tisa and Zapatera that have been reputed to be the turfs of Crips and its rival gang Bloods, said Ylanan. 

In another interview yesterday, Jumao-as denied being either a leader or a member of Crips but he admitted that he has friends from the group. “Dili gyud mo myembro. Ang Crips kay mailhan man kay aduna ma’y patik nga letter C,” he said.

Jumao-as denied also that he was in possession of gun and ammunitions, and that there were drug paraphernalia in his house. He said that he only finished Grade 2 in school but he has not been a bad person as what other people have perceived him to be.

A-Shot was conceived in response to the increasing incidents of fraternity and gang wars, which have now become one of the top four peace and order problems in the city.

The police have already arrested three fraternity members suspected to be involved in at least nine criminal cases, and the creation of A-Shot was intended to keep this momentum of successful arrests going, said the authorities.

Meanwhile, members of the Mambaling Police station arrested a 35-year-old Korean man, Pak Jun Te, in a case of possession of illegal drugs.

Pak, a native of Seoul in South Korea and temporarily residing at the Cebu View Hotel, was caught allegedly in the act of receiving five sachets of shabu, handed to him by a woman, in Carlock Street and Tres de Abril Streets late Tuesday afternoon. PO3 Alvin Montebon, said they were conducting a routine check point when they saw Pak receiving the shabu.

Charlie Shin, general manager of the United Korean Community Association Inc., personally went to the police station to check on the status of the arrested suspect. He told the police that he will verify himself the records of Pak and see what business this man has been doing in Cebu. — Garry B. Lao/RAE