Police are now hunting down the seven men identified as Marvin Pimentel, of 36 Lakandula street, Barangay Marilag, Project 4; Francis Angeles, 25, of 110-B Marang street, Barangay Quirino 2-B, Project 2; Joey Tinaco, of Area 3, Daang Tubo, Barangay UP Campus, Diliman; Leonardo Sumacaton, 39, of 1909 F. Versoza street, Tondo, Manila; Edwin Pinla, 38, of 38 Gunad street, Quiapo, Manila; Brandy Nonida, 16, of M. de la Cruz street, Barangay Krus na Ligas; and Roger Bacsal, alias Antonio Cajudo or Tony Waray, of 23 Constitutional Hills, Barangay Batasan Hills.
The seven men are in detention for various offenses, including theft, robbery and illegal possession of firearms.
Initial investigation disclosed that the inmates escaped at 12:35 a.m. by detaching the iron grill from the wooden window frame of their cell.
The escape was made minutes after the turnover of duty from afternoon shift desk officer PO3 Arsenio David to night shift desk officer SPO3 Samson Gonzales. A routine headcount of the detainees had just been made.
Gonzales was at the radio room of the police station to gather official communications for consolidation when he heard a thud from the male detention cell.
He went to the detention cell area to check and saw one prisoner squeezing himself into the window.
Gonzales fired a warning shot, calling the attention of other duty personnel. A chase then ensued.
However, authorities failed to apprehend any one of the seven men.
Police said there were 24 male detainees and four female detainees at the CPD station.
After a recounting, all male detainees were transferred to the women’s detention cell followed by an ocular inspection of the cell.
The inspection revealed that the nails on the iron grill were all corroded, enabling the inmates to easily pull out the grill.
Superintendent Efren Sta. Ines, station commander, said the breakout was quick, noting that more inmates could have escaped if Gonzales had not heard the commotion.