POLICE arrested Wednesday, February 19, another suspect in the deadly shootout between five armed men and police manning the checkpoint in Libertad, Misamis Oriental.
The police, however, declined to identify the suspect so as not to compromise follow-up operations.
The suspect was arrested in Sitio Liropan, Poblacion, Libertad town around 4:20 p.m., on Wednesday.
“Pagkadakop ani niya dili kaayo siya kadagan kay injured iyang right leg mao tong nasapon,” Lieutenant Colonel Mardy Hortillosa, spokesperson of the Police Regional Office (PRO)-Northern Mindanao, said.
(The suspect had difficulty running since he injured his right leg that’s why we were able to arrest him.)
“Dili lang sa nato ibutyag ang ngalan sa suspek kay padayon ang atong hot pursuit operations sa uban nga mga suspek,” he added.
(We will not disclose the name of the arrested suspect since we are still conducting hot pursuit operations on the other suspects.)
The suspects are facing murder, frustrated murder, illegal possession of firearms and explosives and drug charges, according to police.
The armed encounter killed Police Staff Sergeant Ronald Caayupan and another suspect, Jephone Tinamisan, and wounded another police officer, Police Chief Master Sergeant Fernando Maestrado, and a female civilian.
Investigators are still establishing the group’s activities based on the recovered items from the encounter site.