An eight-hour manhunt ended with the arrest of a man suspected of shooting a driver of a public utility during a robbery in Basud town, Camarines Norte, on Tuesday, a belated report says.
Police cornered the suspect at 5:35 p.m. in Purok 1, Barangay Napolidan in the municipality of Lupi, about 43 kilometers from Basud, according to Police Lieutenant Col. Maria Luisa Calubaquib, Bicol police spokesperson.
She said the robbery took place at around 9:30 a.m. along Metal Bridge in Barangay Tuaca. The suspect was commuting in a van bound for Daet from Naga City when he allegedly ordered the driver to stop and declared a holdup.
But the driver suddenly moved the vehicle as the suspect stood near the door, prompting him to shoot the driver in the chest, Calubaquib said.
The suspect then fled on foot toward the mountainous Bicol Natural Park. Police units from Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur launched a coordinated pursuit.
Police recovered about P24,000 in cash, three cellular phones and a wallet from the suspect, which investigators believed could have been taken from the van’s other passengers.
They also seized an Armscor pistol with one round in the chamber, a steel magazine and six additional rounds of ammunition.
Police said the suspect had also been tied to a September 14 shooting incident in Bato town in Camarines Sur.