MEMBERS of the Abellana Police Station arrested three teens who were involved in a brawl on F. Sotto Drive corner Gorordo Avenue in Barangay Kamputhaw, Cebu City past midnight on Monday, January 16, 2023.
Major Nolan Tagsip, station chief, said the trouble started when two groups, whom they believed had come from General Maxilom Avenue, met at a convenience store near a gasoline station in the area.
Tagsip said that when they received word about the commotion, they called the Special Weapons and Tactics to pacify the fighters.
He said they later brought the victim and his companion and the alleged attacker to the station even though the three decided to settle the matter amicably.
He said that if the victim will not press charges against his attacker, then police will charge all three of them with alarm and scandal to teach them a lesson.
“If they are not interested or not in filing a case against individuals in their group, then we will file against them. We charge them as government. We act as a nominal complainant. We will file a complaint for alarm and scandal against them since they caused panic in the neighborhood,” Tagsip said in a mix of Cebuano and English.
Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) Director Colonel Ireneo Dalogdog has said they will not tolerate youths who cause trouble.
Based on initial investigation, seven youths were involved in the brawl in the early hours of Monday, but only three were taken into police custody.
Each group denied starting the fight and instead accused each other of being the perpetrator.
As a result, the two groups will be placed under investigation to determine who else were involved so police can include them in the charges.
The CCPO director admitted that many got drunk in the uptown area on Sunday night, January 15, and in the early hours of Monday morning to celebrate the end of the Sinulog Grand Parade.
Dalogdog said he even ordered the chiefs of the 11 police stations in the city to monitor their area of jurisdiction after receiving calls from concerned citizens about people going wild on the streets.
Despite Mayor Michael Rama’s ban on street parties, many people drank on the sidewalk, particularly along Juana Osmeña Street and General Maxilom Avenue, on Sunday. (AYB, PJB)