Cable wire thief killed by cop
A suspected thief who was attempting to recover stolen cable wires was killed in an encounter with policemen Wednesday morning at Brgy. Tinocuan, Dueñas, Iloilo.
Before he died, suspect Hernani Lacierdo, a resident of the said village, tried to shoot a policeman who was about to arrest him and his cohorts.
At around 2:50 a.m, a security guard of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company in Dingle town reported to the police that their cable lines were stolen by unidentified persons.
Dueñas police chief, Chief Insp. Frederick Dequito, said his men immediately pursued the thieves who cut the cable wires and hid these in a forested portion of the village.
“When we found out where they left the stolen items, we conducted a stakeout operation and posted men at the area to wait for the suspects to come back,” Dequito said.
At 10 a.m., the suspects indeed returned to the area to get the cable wires.
Policemen claimed they saw Lacierdo carrying a black sack with a 12-gauge shotgun inside it.
When Lacierdo noticed the policemen’s presence, Police Office 2 Jerome Emplasta called the suspect’s attention and identified himself.
As he was about to arrest the suspect, Lacierdo tried to slip away while taking hold of his gun and aimed at Emplasta.
“It left PO1 Felix Domalogdog with no choice but to shoot him,” Dequito said.
Lacierdo, who was hit on the back, was rushed to Don Valerio Palmares Memorial District Hospital in Passi City.
After the shooting episode, Lacierdo’s three companions fled and remained at large as of press time.
Meanwhile, Dequito said the slain suspect was also charged for theft before but his case was settled amicably. He had also a pending case for violation for illegal possession of firearm.
