Cop accused of mauling guard

A policeman was accused of mauling a security guard and threatening him with a gun along Magallanes Street near Carbon Market last Wednesday evening.

PO1 Irvin Adling, a member of the Regional Mobile Group based in Sibonga town but now assigned to the Carbon police station, was disarmed after a certain Elias Taboco, 40, of Kinasang-an, Pardo, Cebu City, alleged Adling mauled him while the policeman was drunk.

Adling told Carbon police station chief Supt. Eliseo Castronuevo he was already on his way home after duty when an unidentified woman approached asking for help to recover her stolen cellphone that she saw being displayed by Taboco along Magallanes Street.

The policeman said he approached Taboco and introduced himself as a policeman.  They then had an argument and Taboco reportedly tried to grab his gun resulting to a scuffle.

Adling eventually overpowered Taboco and pistol-whipped him when he was down.  He later brought Taboco to the Carbon police station but the woman who asked Adling’s assistance was nowhere to be found,  believed to have fled after seeing the commotion.

But Taboco accused Adling of pulling him towards a dark portion of the said street and threatening him with his gun, prompting him to try to grab the gun in self-defense.

He also claimed the policeman was drunk at the time but Castronuevo told The Freeman that when they put Adling to a liquor test at the Cebu City Medical Center the result was negative.

 “Ang ato ani kung dunay pormal nga reklamo atong imbestigahon kay dili man sad nato mahimong arestuhon si Adling tungod sa pasangil ni Taboco kay niresponde raman siya,” Castronuevo said.

Castronuevo is urging Taboco to file formal an administrative complaint against Adling so that they can act on it.

City police chief Sr. Supt. Patrocinio Comendador said Adling is not under their administrative jurisdiction because he belongs to the RMG.

Comendador said he will wait for the result of Castronuevo’s investigation and this will be submitted to the RMG for immediate action.

For now, Comendador wants Adling out of the CCPO while waiting for the result of the investigation.  — Edwin Ian Melecio/BRP