After victimizing foreign nationals two "robbers" nabbed

CEBU, Philippines - Two alleged robbers who tried to victimize two foreign nationals on Sunday were successfully apprehended by the police in a hot pursuit operations hours later.

Fer Jabian Adlaon, 23, of Suba Maslog, Barangay Basak, Lapu-Lapu City and Joseph “Kibol” Flores, 21, of Barangay Cambaro 1, Mandaue, City, were cornered by responding policemen after victimizing a Japanese and Taiwanese national along F. Gochan Street, Barangay Mabolo at 1 a.m.

The two suspects were apprehended after they failed to stop at a roadblock near the White Gold area by elements of the Mabolo Police Station.

Chief Insp. Sarah Jean Recla, Mabolo Police Station chief, told The FREEMAN that a witness recognized the two suspects when their motorcycle passed the roadblock.

She said that when the suspects did not stop, elements from Mabolo Police Station, the City Intelligence Branch, and the motor cops followed the fleeing suspects.

At the North Reclamation Area, the back rider reportedly fired shots at the police prompting them to return fire. Flores was then hit on the leg.

City Intelligence Chief Romeo Santander the chase lasted for about 12 minutes before the two suspects were caught in the corner of Hernan Cortes and S. Cabahug Streets, Mandaue City when their getaway motorcycle crashed.

Recla said responding officers discovered that both suspects were wearing many clothes.

Recovered from the suspects were a caliber .45 pistol with four live rounds of ammunition, a caliber .38 pistol with three live rounds of ammunition and a magazine.

A witness, who wished anonymity, told The FREEMAN that he saw the two suspects after he heard Megomi Sano, 28, a Japanese national, and Shuohung Weng, 28, a Taiwanese national, asking for help.

Sano and Weng were walking along the road when the two suspects, onboard a motorcycle, stopped in front of them and declared a hold-up.

The witness said he saw that Weng tried to fight off one of the suspects which caught the attention of bystanders in the area.

One of the suspects, according to the witness, pointed a gun at him when he tried to help.

While fleeing, the robbers fired shots in the air twice and shot at a group of youngsters but did not hit anyone.

Both suspects, who denied the allegations, are currently detained at the Cebu City Police Office stockade while charges for theft and illegal possession of firearms are being prepared against them. – (FREEMAN)