Thieves prey on 2 foreigners; British shot

CEBU, Philippines - Two foreign nationals fall victim to thieves in Cebu City early dawn yesterday.

British National, Joe Ryan, 29, was shot after he chased three thieves who grabbed his laptop inside a bar along Gorordo Avenue at around 4:30 a.m.  

Witnesses said Ryan was using his laptop inside the bar with his friend, another foreign national, Omar Sadik, when two unidentified men entered the bar and suddenly grabbed his laptop and immediately fled. Ryan ran after the two assailants who boarded a motorcycle.

However, while chasing the three thieves, one of the assailants reportedly shot him twice, hitting him on his shoulder and stomach.  Undeterred, Ryan stood up and tried to reach for his laptop when the motorcycle used by the three assailants bumped him. 

Even while wounded, Ryan reportedly boarded a taxi and ordered the driver to follow the fleeing assailants.

Unfortunately, the taxi driver lost sight of the motorcycle-riding-thieves when they turned left towards Escario Street and sped off.  Ryan was rushed to Chong Hua Hospital for immediate medical attention. 

Elements of the Fuente Police Station immediately conducted hot pursuit operations, but to no avail.   Meanwhile, John Holdridge Pope, a 65-year-old Canadian national lost P6, 000 to a thief who entered his residence in Sitio STY Lower Kalunasan, Barangay Kalunasan, Cebu City early dawn yesterday by using a makeshift ladder to reach a window on the second floor of the victim’s residence. The thief reportedly removed two jalousie blades from the window, enough for a man’s body to fit and slip into the house.

While inside, the thief managed to spot six P1, 000 bills on the victim’s trousers which were hanging near the stairs. Pope was asleep & later discovered the theft when he woke up at 8 a.m. (FREEMAN)