2 arrested for mugging APEC cop

MANILA, Philippines - Two men were arrested in Tondo, Manila Wednesday night for allegedly robbing a policewoman who was on her way to final security dry run for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Manila over the weekend.

Marvin Austria, 18, and Christopher Sadaraga were apprehended while waiting for prospective victims between the Harbour Center gate and the Marala Bridge in Vitas at around 10 p.m., Manila Police District Station 1 chief Superintendent Redentor Ulsano said. 

A homemade .38 caliber revolver loaded with shotgun shells, a length of rope with a piece of metal attached to one end, and several sachets of shabu were seized from the suspects.

The suspects use the weighted rope to break the windows of delivery trucks that pass through the area or stop a motorcycle rider in his tracks, Ulsano said.

He added that the suspects belong to a group called the “jump men,” and had been the headache of police officers in Vitas.

Police Officer 1 Jinky Monsanto, a member of the Northern Police District, was stuck in traffic on a motorcycle along Road 10 in Barangay Capulong, Tondo when the robbers attacked her with a knife at around 5:30 a.m. on Saturday.

The suspects stabbed Monsanto in the shoulder then took her bag and service firearm before fleeing.

Monsanto reported the incident to the Don Bosco police community precinct, where she was able to identify one of her assailants from the rogues’ gallery.

Mark Emil Nicol was arrested in a follow-up operation. Police recovered from the suspect Monsanto’s bag. But her service firearm and P8,000 cash were missing.

During interrogation, the two said they split the money into four but “Kenneth,” who remains at large, took the gun.

Ulsano’s men called Monsanto a few minutes after the two were arrested and she immediately recognized the suspects.