Friday, April 13, 2007 2 cops jailed after billiard shoot spree By Ernie N. Olson Jr.
TWO policemen were arrested and temporarily put behind bars after one of them shot a civilian while the other merely looked on when a fistfight erupted inside a billiard hall along Hilltop Road late Monday night.
Senior Superintendent Moises Guevarra, Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) director, identified the arrested lawmen as Police Officer 2 James Baynihan Tillay, 37, married, a resident of Km. 6, La Trinidad, Benguet; and Senior Police Officer 1 Peter Manuga Himoldang, 44, married, who lives along T. Bugallon Street, Aurora Hill. Both are reportedly assigned to the PNP Intelligence Group regional office based in Camp Bado Dangwa, La Trinidad, Benguet.
The shooting victim was named as Leo Pacdayan, described to be a relative of Ligaya Lalwet, the manager of Al's Bar & Billiards along Hilltop Road, where the incident reportedly transpired.
Initial investigation showed that the two policemen arrived at the billiard hall with several companions and engaged in a drinking spree.
However, at around 10 p.m. that same night, Tillay was reportedly irked by the antics of an 11-year old nephew of Lalwey and Pacdayan, who was playing a video game inside the establishment.
When Pacdayan and Lalwey confronted Tillay, a fistfight erupted between the two men, resulting to the policeman pulling out a gun and firing it repeatedly while his gun hand was being restrained by another civilian named Willy Ognayan.
One of the fired bullets hit Pacdayan on the left buttock. He was rushed to the Baguio General Hospital & Medical Center emergency ward.
When a team from BCPO Station 7 responded to the scene, they confiscated a Thompson cal. 45 revolver still loaded with two live bullets from Tillay while Himoldang voluntarily turned over a Beretta 9mm pistol with 15 ammunition.
Reportedly recovered at the scene later were one spent shell and two deformed bullet slugs.
Although both policemen were taken in and detained at the Baguio City Jail later, they were released late yesterday afternoon after reportedly posting bail.
