MAGSAYSAY, Davao del Sur – The arrest of three men tagged to be behind the death of a suspected mango theft here turned like a scene of an action movie after a police mobile chased a getaway vehicle in about 20 minutes.
Sr. Insp. Edilberto P. Cabillo, chief of the Magsaysay Municipal Police Station, said the police received a call from a concerned citizen that there was a shooting incident at Purok 1 in Barangay Balnate, some four kilometers away from Poblacion area, prompting them to immediately respond.
Cabillo said the caller informed them that the suspects boarded a White L300 Van as they fled away.
He said he dispatched the newly-issued Toyota Hilux Police Mobile to conduct hot pursuit operation and was able to meet the getaway van at Purok 14 in Poblacion.
The police official said the responding police tried to flag down the vehicle but continued to fled away, prompting them to turn around and chase the vehicle up to Purok 4 in Barangay New Ilocos.
Arrested were alleged gunmen Bryan Cuevas Sarsona and his half-brother Wowie Sarsona Grabines, residents of Sitio San Vicente, Barangay San Isidro and driver Ferdinand Aguilar Lee, of Barangay Tres de Mayo, Digos City.
Taken from the suspects were an M-16 Armalite Rifle and .45 caliber pistol and the van with temporary plate number 1301-548304 used as the getaway vehicle.
Bryan and Wowie were tagged by eyewitnesses to have gunned down Candido Plaza Jr., a resident of Purok 3, Balnate, who was alleged to be stealing harvested mango in the area at the time of the incident.
It was learned that the van owner was the financier of the harvested mango and may be subjected for an investigation. Murder charges have been readied for filing at the court against the suspects. (Anthony S. Allada/PNA)
