12 Pasay cops relieved after man dies in custody
The 12 Pasay City police officers involved in the Aug. 5 death of a suspect who was under their custody have been relieved of their posts.
In a report on Monday, the Pasay police said the 12 personnel have been reassigned to their respective administrative holding units while an investigation of the case is ongoing.
A medicolegal report declared the cause of death as “asphyxia by manual strangulation.”
Six of the 12 police officers are assigned to the Pasay police substation 5, five are from the Mobile Force Battalion (MFB) of the Southern Police District (SPD), while one is with the National Capital Region Police Office MFB.
Before being relieved of their posts, the 12 were charged with reckless imprudence resulting in homicide at the Pasay City prosecutor’s office on Aug. 19.
Two of the five SPD police officers are also facing a complaint for maltreatment of a prisoner on top of the criminal charges.
Based on a police report, seven of the police officers arrested a 29-year-old Pampanga resident on Aug. 5 for allegedly causing a disturbance and damaging property in a convenience store at Barangay 75, Zone 10 in Pasay City.
Footage taken by a CCTV camera showed the victim entering the store’s stockroom before he was pinned down by the law enforcers.
He was then punched in the back as he “was becoming unruly” before being brought to the police substation 5.
While in custody, the man complained of difficulty in breathing and was taken to the Pasay City General Hospital for medical treatment, where he was declared dead at 9:40 p.m. —WITH A REPORT FROM JASON SIGALES
