Cops to trace crowd at hostage-taking

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar yesterday ordered the Caloocan police to help the city government locate kibitzers who turned a hostage-taking incident last Friday into a superspreader event.

He directed the local police to help officials of Barangay 14, where the incident happened, to find the people who disregarded COVID-19 protocols.

Eleazar stressed there is a need to secure and isolate a hostage incident scene and prohibit unauthorized persons as their presence can further agitate the hostage-taker.

The suspect, Anthony Soriano, 32, grabbed a 15-year-old boy along C-3 Road on Friday night. The suspect, said to be high on drugs, later freed the victim and surrendered to police.

Despite the onlookers’ breach of health and safety protocols, Eleazar lauded the police officers who prevented the incident from escalating.