Police arrest holdup suspect

Mandaluyong police arrested yesterday a suspect involved in a holdup incident that victimized a male employee of Wendy’s Restaurant.

The victim, Tristan Joel Balbastro, 21, a service crew of Wendy’s Restaurant, identified the suspect as Ryan Iran.

Iran was chanced upon by the police after the get-away vehicle he was driving was spotted early yesterday morning.

The vehicle, a red Mazda with license plate UEV-493, was spotted at 2:30 a.m. by Bantay Bayan member Edmond Solacito, while passing through the barangay outpost at the corner of Gonzales and Pinagtipunan Streets, Barangay Hagdang Bato yesterday.

PO2 Patricio Mendoza and PO1 Seldon Salazar, of the Police Community Precinct 2 (PCP-2), had set up a "choke point" in front of the precinct. The getaway vehicle was stopped and the driver was arrested.

Confiscated from the suspect were deadly weapons, including a nine-inch kitchen knife, two Philips screw drivers, and a three-sided metal file. — Sandy Araneta