Drunk 19-year-old dies in fistfight

A drunken 19-year-old died in a fistfight with a 16-year-old neighbor he challenged to a fight yesterday afternoon in Caloocan City.

PO2 Joselito de los Reyes, investigator of Police Sub-station 4, identified the victim as Charlito Dahug, of Purok 3, Vanguard Subd., in Barangay Camarin.

The 16-year-old suspect, whose name was withheld because he is a minor, remains at large. The law states that a minor in trouble with the law must be turned over to social welfare authorities.

Initial investigation showed that Dahug groggily swayed into a basketball court where the suspect was talking with some friends and allegedly challenged the suspect to a fight.

As they squared off, Dahug turned into putty in the hands of his younger opponent. The victim took a knockout punch that sent him falling like a tree. But Dahug banged his head hard on the pavement and fell unconscious, probers said.

The suspect fled while the victim was taken to the Dr. Jose Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center in Tala. Dahug died of head injuries at around 3:05 p.m.