2 cop officials wounded during hostage-taking

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — Two police officials had sustained stab wounds when attacked by a man who held hostage a 9-year-old boy at a house in Barangay 7 of this city Tuesday afternoon.

The hostage-taker, identified as Roberto Arac, 37, attacked the two police officials, Sr. Insp. Jovil Sedel, chief of Station 2, and Sr. Insp. Ruel Culanag, deputy chief of Special Operations Group of the Bacolod City Police Office.

According to case investigator PO2 Randy Abello, a woman called the police to report that her son was grabbed by her neighbor Arac who threatened to stab the boy with a knife.

While negotiations went on for Arac to surrender, the woman was able to get back her son from the hostage-taker who hid in the 2nd floor of his house where he tried to set fire his clothes with kerosene. Firefighters were quick to respond and put out the fire.

Sedel and Culanag tried to pacify Arac, who was believed to be mentally ill, police report said. The latter however requested to see Barangay Chariman Bernabe Sibug who obliged and, after several tries, was able to convince the hostage-taker to surrender.

When Arac was coming down the stairs, he abruptly went back to his room, took a knife and attacked the two police officials. Sedel sustained stab wounds on his lips and right arm while Culanag suffered stab wounds on his right arm, police report further said.

The BCPO’s Special Weapon and Tactics team managed to rescue the wounded policemen and shot Arac to control the situation.

The police officials were brought to Riverside Medical Center, while Arac, who sustained multiple gunshot wounds on parts of his body, was rushed to the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in this city.

Arac was charged for two counts of direct assault on persons in authority and serious physical injury, before the City Prosecutor’s Office, Abello added.

Senior Supt. Edgardo Ordaniel, acting BCPO director, said Sedel and Culanag will be conferred with Medalyang Sugatang Magiting.

Ordaniel said it was a legitimate police operation but he admitted that they lacked preparation when they responded to the incident. The residence's hallway leading to the scene was narrow and crowded with onlookers so the policemen could not move swiftly. (FREEMAN)