A man who hostaged a 2-year-old was mobbed by civilians in La Huerta, Parañaque City, according to a “24 Oras” report by Emil Sumangil on Wednesday.
The CCTV footage initially caught the suspect approaching a man on a scooter while holding a knife.
Police said that when the man, who was supposed to be his initial target, escaped, the suspect entered Fisherman’s Wharf in Barangay La Huerta, Parañaque and picked up a 2-year-old girl.
“’Yung mag-asawa kasi pag nasa trabaho, bitbit nila yung anak nila… Nasa tabi lang nila ang bata, biglang dumaan ang suspek at biglang tinangay ang bata,” said Philippine National Police (PNP) Maritime Group NCR officer Police Lieutenant Mardizon Perie.
(Whenever the parents worked, they brought their daughter… She was just next to them when the suspect passed by and grabbed the child.)
Civilians followed the suspect as he walked away while holding the hostage at knifepoint. The victim’s father immediately alerted the authorities, who deployed two officers to chase down the hostage taker followed by the civilians.
The responding officers shared that negotiations with the hostage taker took time, as he had no demands.
“Ang paulit-ulit lang niyang sinasabi ‘wag niyo lalapitan, papatayin ko ito… Talagang gagawin niya, hindi siya nagbibiro, na ituloy na itarak ang kutsilyo sa bata kaya, hindi rin kami nag-insist na lapitan siya kasi pwede ma-compromise,” said Police Staff Sergeant Rhusevelt Gatbonton.
(He just kept telling us not to approach him, he would kill her… He would have really done it, he wasn’t joking about it, that he would stab the child, which is why we also didn’t insist on coming closer since she could be compromised.)
“Walang demand eh… Based sa investigation ng tropa natin, ang lumabas nagkaroon ng family problem,” added PNP Maritime Group Director Police Brigadier General Jonathan Cabal.
(He didn’t have demands. Based on our troop’s investigation, it seems like he had a family problem.)
Patrolman Samuel Melad and Staff Sergeant Gatbonton were able to take down the hostage taker as soon as he lowered the knife, prompting the rest of the crowd to mob the suspect.
Melad sustained injuries from gripping the suspect’s knife and protecting the victim from the mob.
“Pagka-take down, yung bata kinover ko, kasi andami tao… Pati yung bata kasi tamaan ng kuyog ng mga tambay,” he shared.
(Once I took him down, I covered the child because there were so many people… Even the child could have been harmed by the mob.)
“Hindi ko po talaga binitawan yung kutsilyo, kahit na parang mapuputol na ang daliri ko… Ang nasa isip ko kasi nun, baka may ibang makakuha saksakin ang suspek o yung suspek makakuha isaksak sa bata o kahit kanino. Binitiwan ko lang nung nalaman ko na yung ka buddy ko na ang may hawak,” he added.
(I really did not let go of the knife even if it felt like my fingers gets off… What was on my mind back then is that someone might get it… stab the suspect or the suspect may take it … stab the child or someone else. I only let go when I saw that my buddy was the one holding it.)
Meanwhile, the suspect apologized for the incident.
“Siyempre, di ko gusto na maghiwalay kami ng asawa ko. Sobra sir ang pagsisisi ko,” he said.
(Of course, I don’t want my wife and I to separate. I really am regretting it a lot.)
The suspect will face charges for serious illegal detention, child abuse, alarm and scandal, and illegal possession of a deadly weapon. — Jiselle Anne Casucian/BAP, GMA Integrated News
