BACOLOD City — A robbery targeting an elderly taxi driver ended in a fatal police encounter on Monday night, March 2, along Roxas Avenue in Barangay 40 here. One suspect was killed after reportedly attacking a responding officer while his accomplice remained in police custody.
The victim, Gil Montilla, 74, was driving his taxi when two men posing as passengers boarded the vehicle in downtown Bacolod. Upon reaching Lupit Church, the duo allegedly declared a hold-up. Brandishing a bladed weapon, the suspects forcibly took P2,100 in cash from Montilla.
Officers from the Bacolod City Police Office’s (BCPO) Mobile Patrol Unit responded to Montilla’s call for help, leading to a brief but violent confrontation. Alias “Ferdinand,” a truck driver, was shot and killed by police after he reportedly attacked an officer. The second suspect, Benjie Sitojado, 31, a resident of Calatrava, Negros Occidental, sustained minor injuries and was taken into police custody.
Both the driver and a responding officer also sustained injuries during the ensuing scuffle. They were rushed to a hospital.
Initial investigations by the BCPO revealed that both suspects had prior links to robbery and illegal drug cases.
Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) assisted in the processing of the site, where authorities successfully recovered the stolen P2,100.
As of this writing, investigation was ongoing to finalize the charges against the surviving suspect. (Watchmen Daily Journal)/PN
