Accomplice also falls, female cop chases, kills rob suspect

CEBU, Philippines - A quick-acting policewoman shot and killed one of the two men who earlier robbed a woman after a ten-minute chase that ended in Barangay Guadalupe yesterday noon.

PO2 Lea Juarez from the Provincial Intelligence Branch (PIB) was with a fellow policeman after attending court duty when she spotted a woman, who was crying for help on the sidewalk along Cardinal Ro-sales Ave. inside the Cebu Business Park (CBP).

It turned out that Reychel Juntar, 31, who works in one of the firms at the CBP, was robbed by two men on board a motorcycle.

The victim was on her way to buy lunch when she was robbed of her Apple iPhone 4S.

Juarez, who heard Juntar shout for help, asked PO1 Percival Perigo, who was driving the motorcycle they were riding to make a U-turn so they could chase the suspects, who were fleeing the scene.

The policewoman said that when she turned to check why a woman was shouting, she saw Juntar roll on the sidewalk, which prompted her to ask her buddy to help out.

The robbers, who were on board a black Yamaha Mio motorcycle bearing plate number 7141 GL, were still fleeing the scene when the policemen gave a chase.

Juarez described the chase as very intense as the suspects weaved in an out of traffic as if in a scene from an action movie.

When the suspects reached M. Velez St. in Barangay Guadalupe, one of them, a 17-year-old minor named “Nano,” of Barangay Tisa, Cebu City, got off the motorcycle and tried to flee on foot.

Juarez got off their motorcycle and managed to corner “Nano,” (The FREEMAN is withholding his real name) and the two faced off for a couple of seconds.

When “Nano” tried to draw his gun, the policewoman beat him to it by firing once hitting the suspect in his abdomen. The suspect was about 15 meters away from the policewoman.

“Nano” was rushed by policemen to the Don Vicen-te Sotto Memorial Medical Center where he was declared dead on arrival.

Richard Caburnay Ba-culi, 23, cousin of the fatality, who drove the getaway motorcycle, was arrested by Perigo also on M. Velez St.

The phone was found inside the pocket of the dead suspect.

Also recovered from him was a caliber .45 pistol.

Just a driver?

Baculi told The FREEMAN he was only forced by his cousin to be his driver and wingman.

He said he was promised to have a share of their proceeds for the day.

Investigators from the Cebu City Theft and Robbery Section, however, said that Baculi is a known notorious robber, who operates at Cebu Business Park area.

Police said that he was arrested last February, but was released after his victims opted not to file criminal charges against him.

Juarez has been a policewoman for five years. She is from Cebu City and has been assigned with the PIB for two years. She is 31 years old and still single. — /NLQ (FREEMAN)