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At around 2pm on Thu, Oct 8, a barefoot man boarded an HM Transport bus at Rizal Park.
Bus dispatcher Danilo Aniben related that as more passengers boarded the bus the man, who looked visibly agitated, transferred from one seat to another. When the bus approached the corner of Pedro Gil Street, the still-unidentified man grabbed a female Technological University of the Philippines (TIP) student. He declared a robbery.
“The passengers panicked and got out of the bus by jumping from the vehicle’s rear left window. Bus driver Mario Culebar, who also managed to get out, immediately sought police help,” reports Aie Balagtas See in The Philippine Star.
When the police arrived at the scene, Inspector Boy Miñas acted as the first negotiator. He later related in Filipino: “When we got there, there were only two of them (suspect and student) inside the bus. It was dark in the bus as he had pulled the curtains closed. What I could see from the door was that he was holding the student and he had a bladed weapon.”
The report noted: “The suspect asked for something to drink and was given two bottles of water. He asked Miñas to call his mother who allegedly lived in Sta. Mesa, but did not give his mother’s contact details. The suspect kept cursing at the policemen and, in the middle of the negotiation, threatened to kill his hostage. The girl started to struggle.”
Addressing the girl, the suspect reportedly said, “Kung mapapatay ako, isasama kita (If I am killed, I will take you with me).”
At this point, Inspector Dionell Brannon, chief of Lawton precinct, was already in position with his near the window on the driver’s side to have a better view of the suspect. When he saw the suspect move to stab the girl’s neck, he shot the suspect three times.
The report revealed that “the suspect died at around 2:55 p.m. while being treated at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH).” Meanwhile, the student, who was not physically hurt, still went through an initial medical exam.
It was later learned from the student’s mother that the girl had gone to school to submit a project and was headed home when the incident occurred.
