Guard botches bakery heist; 1 dead, 1 hurt

MANILA, Philippines – A security guard shot dead the owner of a house where he sought refuge from police officers who were chasing him for robbing a nearby bakery in Barangay Pag-Asa, Quezon City Sunday night, police said yesterday.

Superintendent Antonio Yarra, Quezon City Police District (QCPD) criminal investigation and detection unit chief, identified the victim as Herbin Cornista, 70, a resident of Road 4. Cornista died of gunshot wounds in the chest and abdomen.

Suspect Robert Pingad, 40, a security guard employed by Festoc Security Agency and a resident of Road 2 in the same barangay, is confined at the Quezon City General Hospital after he sustained eight gunshot wounds during a shootout with police officers from the QCPD’s Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit.

Yarra clarified that the incident was not a case of hostage-taking but a simple robbery gone haywire after a bakery helper resisted during the heist.

Helper Rosemarie Bonifacio, 21, told investigators Pingad posed as a customer and bought bread at the bakery just before 8:30 p.m. She said Pingad lingered at the store, watching a show on a television mounted in the store.

Minutes later, Bonifacio saw Pingad draw a .45 caliber pistol and force his way behind the counter. She said she tried to block his path, but the suspect pointed a gun at her then shoved her aside. He grabbed a plastic bowl contained P7,000, the bakery’s earnings for the day.

As Pingad was leaving, Bonifacio grappled for the gun and cried out for help. Pingad pistol-whipped her on the head and shoulders and ran out of the bakery.

Bonifacio’s shouts drew the attention of Police Officer 2 Rodolfo Saborco, an off-duty Quezon City policeman, and another resident. The two men chased Pingad, who ran to Cornista’s house to hide.

Cornista’s 17-year-old daughter, Helen, managed to get out of the house and shout for help, waking up her father. The elder Cornista put up a fight, prompting Pingad to shoot him several times.

By this time, SWAT policemen arrived and cornered Pingad in Cornista’s house. The suspect engaged the lawmen in a shootout. Pingad was wounded and was taken to the hospital.

Pingad faces charges of homicide and multiple counts of physical injuries.