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TWO
armed bodyguards of a prominent businessmen were
arrested and charged before the Makati City Prosecutors
office for an alleged indiscriminate-firing incident in
Makati City, police said Wednesday.
Senior
Supt. Gilbert Cruz, Makati police chief, identified the
suspects as Juanito Cruz and Samson Fernandez, both body
guards of Robert “Robby” Puyat Martel, son of Antonio
Martel, owner of Harrison Plaza mall in Manila City.
Robby,
the estranged husband of Melissa Mercado-Martel, was
earlier charged with attempted parricide before the
Makati City Prosecutors Office by his wife. Martel
allegedly shot his wife, which caused the latter to be
confined at the Makati Medical Center for months.
In her
complaint-affidavit, Melissa said her husband Robby kept
high-powered firearms and maintained a group of
bodyguards.
Cruz
said complaints of damage to property would be filed
against the suspects.
Investigators, however, are still determining who fired
the gun, Robby or his bodyguards.
Fernandez, a security guard, allegedly fired four to
five times while he and Juanito were onboard a white
Ford Expedition that was cruising along De La Costa
Street Tuesday afternoon.
The
bullets shattered the windows of Planters Bank Building,
Cruz said.
The
suspects allegedly fired after their car and another
sport utility vehicle (SUV), a black Ford Expedition,
rammed into two taxicabs.
Cruz
said there were at least six complainants against the
two aside from the taxi drivers.
Henry
Perez, Planters Bank’s security officer, is also set to
file a complaint because the bank’s building was damaged
by the shooting.
Witnesses claimed it was Fernandez who opened fire. The
two have undergone paraffin tests on Tuesday, Cruz said.
Cruz
added that 9-mm slugs recovered at the scene have
already been sent to the crime laboratory.
Cruz
said that verification with the Land Transportation
Office revealed that the two SUVs were registered in the
name of Martel.
“Aside
from that, we are also checking the papers of the two
Ford Expeditions. Initially, the vehicles are under the
name of ‘auto sales’ and addressed to Harrison Plaza. We
want to know who owns these vehicles so that charges
could be filed against the owner,” Cruz said.
Tension
gripped Makati City Tuesday due to the shooting. Taxi
driver Rodolfo Arcaina recalled that one of the SUVs
rammed his vehicle. He said that instead of apologizing,
the suspects threatened to hurt him and then sped off.
Cruz
said the two SUVs crashed into another taxi driven by
Gales Beinbenido.
“I think
the suspects were showing off because they were using
new Expedition vehicles and one of them, the white
back-up vehicle, even had a blinker. They think they can
get away with this,” Cruz said.
Reports
said police are now hunting down Martel and three others
in connection with the Makati incident. |
