COTABATO CITY — Police here shot dead Tuesday a drug suspect, who allegedly attempted to throw a hand grenade against an arresting anti-drug team following a drug buy-bust operation.
Chief Insp. Tirso Pascual, city police station 4 commander, identified the slain suspect in the 3 p.m. operation along Bonifacio Street here as Yasser Salik Kalipa alias Yasser Masabpi, 42, of Sitio Manday, Barangay Bagua Mother.
“The suspect has apparently sensed that he was dealing with a police poseur-buyer prompting him to run away with a grenade in one hand,” Pascual said.
During the chase, the suspect allegedly tried to pull the grenade pin, forcing the police to shoot him.
Pascual said members of the military’s explosive ordnance disposal team rushed to the scene to secure the live grenade that fell from the slain suspect’s hand in the middle of the street.
Recovered from the suspect were four plastic sachets of “shabu”, an improvised tooter, a mobile phone, and PHP190 cash money.
Backing up the police operation were members of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency–Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, which includes this city in its area of responsibility. (Noel Punzalan/PNA)
