Suspect in bus rob-slay arrested

In less than 36 hours after the incident, one of seven suspects in the robbery-holdup of a Baliwag Transit bus at the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) last Thursday fell yesterday in the hands of the Valenzuela police.

The heist resulted in the death of PO3 Joel Magbanua, 34, of the PNP Security and Protection Unit at Camp Crame and detailed at the US Embassy, with address at 32 Morningtones Place in Pasay City.

Magbanua succeeded in shooting and wounding one of the suspects in the abdomen, but succumbed to two gunshot wounds and 13 stab wounds when he was ganged upon by the suspects.

Superintendent Billy Beltran, Valenzuela City Police chief, identified the arrested suspect as Alejandro Eldo y Villota alias "Lanlan", 27, single, native of Tomas Opos, Southern Leyte, with last known address at the California Bus Lines garage along Macarthur Highway in Barangay Malanday, Valenzuela City, and a member of the Commando Gang and Bahala na Gang.

Another suspect, initially identified as "Toto," earlier seen with Eldo, eluded arrest. The others remain at large, police said.

At around 4:30 a.m. last Thursday, seven suspects posing as passengers declared a holdup as a Baliwag Transit bus, with 16 passengers, cruised along the NLEX in Guiguinto, Bulacan.

The suspects alighted at Lawa, Meycauayan, Bulacan and fled with their wounded cohort toward Libtong, Meycauayan.

Driver Jeffer Yandoc reported the heist to Valenzuela PCP 1 at Paso de Blas across the Malinta exit.

Although the Valenzuela police has no jurisdiction on the case, Beltran said they coordinated with the Bulacan police for the early solution of the case.

Beltran late Thursday received information from a tricycle driver that three of the seven suspects were seen in Malanday, among them Eldo and "Toto."

Beltran sent Senior Inspector Loida Bondoc, investigation chief, Inspector Rhoderick Juan, intel unit chief, and SPO4 Henry Marteja, follow-up unit chief and officer on case, to verify the information and investigate further.

Later, Beltran personally received a tipoff from Malanday barangay officials that two of the suspects, one of them identified as "Toto", were heard along Urrutia street in Malanday bragging about the rob-slay.

Police isolated the witness, who told them that Toto, with a strong Visayan accent, boasted about how they held up the bus and killed Magbanua.

Beltran said they are now working to get more information leading to the identity and whereabouts of the other suspects. He also said they are coordinating with hospitals to locate the wounded suspect.