Mortar scare in Caloocan

Alarm and fear gripped a small neighborhood after a man threw a live mortar round in a busy street late afternoon on Monday in Caloocan City. The live ammunition failed to explode when it hit the pavement, police said.

In a report to Senior Superintendent Benjardi Mantele, Caloocan City police chief, probers said they received a phone in tip from a concerned resident at 189 Marulas A, Talipapa, near the Caloocan City Manila boundary saying a bomb was found in their street. The bomb later turned out to be a 60 mm high explosive (HE) mortar round, said Inspector Joven dela Piedra, local SWAT chief.

Probers said witnesses saw the man threw what looked like an ordinary piece of iron which was played with and kicked around by some teeners.

An unidentified barangay official saw them however and warned them about the possibility that it could be a live bomb. He later called the local Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team for assistance.

The bomb has been turned over to the PNP HQ at Camp Crame for proper disposition. – Jerry Botial