P50,000 offered for arrest of Koronadal pawnshop robbers

KORONADAL
CITY (Sept. 18/NDBC)– Mayor Peter Miguel today offered a P50,000 reward for anyone who can
provide information that could lead to the arrest of six men who robbed a pawnshop
here and killed two security guards.

Miguel
said any information can be relayed to him or the local police.

He
condoled with the family of the slain security guards and lauded them for their
bravery.

Six
men, armed with hand guns and grenade, arrived at Agencia Brillantes, a pawnshop
located along Osmenia Street at about 12:15 on board three motorcycles.

Suddenly,
the suspects barged inside the pawnshop while one of them shot security guard
Joan Lazaga in the head. He died on the spot.

But
security guards from nearby business establishments responded and traded shots
with the suspects. Another security guard, Arlan Tamayo of Fitmart department
store, came to Lazaga’s defense but he too was shot dead.

Of
the six suspects, four barged inside the pawnshop while the other two
separately shot Lazaga and Tamayo.

A
witness who asked not be named told DXOM-FM Koronadal the four suspects took
undetermined amount of cash and jewelry from the pawnshop.

As
the policemen arrived, the four hurriedly left on board three separate
motorbikes.

The
witness said as the gunmen fled, one of them tossed a hand grenade that failed
to explode. Police and Army bomb experts
detonated the explosive.

Wounded
in the shootout were pawnshop security guard Noel Villoria, 25 and Alfred
Pagarugan, security guard of Ace Centerpoint.
Also hit by stray bullets were a boy and a girl, aged 14 and 17.A man was invited for questioning for his acting suspicious near the scene. But he was later freed.(NDBC)