Hostage-taker disarmed

Ten minutes was all it took for a quick-thinking policeman to outsmart and disarm a drug-crazed man who held hostage his own four-year-old niece and a six-year-old girl in Navotas late Friday afternoon.

Navotas police chief Superintendent Roberto Villanueva said suspect Lemuel Verzosa, 27, a mussel (tahong) vendor, residing at Isla Puting Bato at the Navotas-Manila boundary, was arrested and detained with two counts of attempted homicide slapped against him.

The two hostages, Donnamie Verzosa, 4, the suspect’s niece and Marjorie Ilagan, 6, a neighbor’s daughter, both residing in Bagong Silang, San Jose, Navotas where the incident took place, were safely rescued, although marked by shallow knife wounds in the neck and face.

Reports said that at around 4 p.m. last Friday, PO2 Edgardo de Guzman of the Navotas police Warrant Section, waded through the milling crowd upon hearing of the hostage drama and came within arm’s length of Verzosa, who was then poking a knife at Ilagan’s neck.

De Guzman engaged Verzosa in a conversation and when the suspect let his guard down, De Guzman struck, giving the stocky and muscular hostage-taker a kick to his right arm, sending the nine-inch knife, flying in the air.

Staggered by the cop’s sudden attack, the suspect let go of his victim and sprawled face down on the muddy ground. De Guzman then quickly subdued Verzosa, handcuffing both his hands behind his back.

It was gathered that earlier that day, at around 2:30 p.m., Verzosa allegedly high on shabu, went to the house of his elder brother Edgardo in Bagong Silang asking for help over a personal problem.

Edgardo apparently ignored him, causing him to grab Gardo’s daughter Donnamie.

Edgardo saw the glint of steel as the suspect whipped out a knife and Edgardo grappled with his brother for its possession. The bigger Edgardo succeeded in grabbing the knife from the suspect, who ran out of the house. He climbed up the roof as a mob ran after him, the police said.

Going down from the roof, Verzosa spotted Ilagan and grabbed her, later telling police investigators he did it to protect himself from the enraged crowd who was ready to lynch him.

Villanueva personally praised De Guzman and said he has recommended that he be awarded a medal and promotion for his feat.