Tutor foils ATM robber

A 26-year-old tutor foiled a robber who took her cash and valuables as she stepped out of an automated teller machine (ATM) booth near her home along MacArthur Highway in Valenzuela City yesterday.

Jane Ponce de Leon lost her Motorola V3X phone and P1,500 cash she had just withdrawn to an armed suspect identified by police as Manuel Villafranca, 26, of Paombong, Bulacan.

Senior Police Officer 1 Ronald Bautista said Ponce de Leon was halfway out the door of the ATM booth when Villafranca shoved her back into the booth.

Armed with a rusty pair of scissors, the suspect demanded the cash she had just withdrawn and her phone. After taking the loot, Villafranca stabbed her in the left hand.

As Villafranca ran out the door, Ponce de Leon screamed for help and ran after the suspect. Her cries caught the attention of concerned bystanders, who chased Villafranca until he was cornered and disarmed at the SM Hypermart footbridge across the highway.

He was later turned over to responding policemen, who are preparing to charge him with robbery with physical injuries.   – Jerry Botial