Suspect’s neighbors pelt cops with rocks

Operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Branch were pelted with rocks and empty bottles by angry neighbors of a drug suspect during his arrest yesterday dawn in sitio Lawis, barangay Pasil.

Despite this, the raiders managed to escape the volley of projectiles from the mob and made off with Ronald Sumalinog, 21, after arresting him for selling drugs.

Earlier, a police informant guided the CIIB team led by SPO2 Filomeno Mendaros to the interior part of the area for a buy-bust operation.

PO2 Jonas Tahanlangit was the poseur-buyer and gave the suspect a marked P100 bill in exchange for drugs.

After the exchange, police arrested the suspect who resisted, but the police were able to subdue him and brought him to their parked vehicle.

But before they could board the vehicle, residents started throwing rocks, empty bottles and anything they could grab at them.

The policemen eventually managed to get away and brought Sumalinog to their office for booking.

Police recovered from his possession the marked money and four other small packs containing suspected shabu.

Supt. Pablo Labra, deputy director of the CCPO, brushed aside speculations that the resistance may have been the result of the deteriorating trust in the police.

He said residents in the area would always resist every time a drug operation is conducted in their neighborhood.  — Edwin Ian Melecio/BRP