Two police officers tagged in the road rage killing of an Army soldier in Marikina City are facing criminal charges, according to an official.
In a report by The STAR, City police chief Col. Restituto Arcangel said they filed homicide charges against M/Sgt. Demetrio Magpali Jr. and M/Sgt. Edward Yap, both assigned with the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, for the death of S/Sgt. Marvin Balucas.
Arcangel told The STAR that closed-circuit television footage showed the suspects at the scene of the crime.
“The charges were based on what we saw on the CCTV footage,” Arcangel said.
According to witnesses, the policemen were on a motorcycle along Bonifacio Avenue when they reportedly blocked by Balucas, who was also on a motorcycle, upon making a turn at the Riverbanks Center.
Arcangel said that the CCTV footage obtained by police showed that a firefight ensued between the policemen and Balucas over a traffic altercation.
Balucas reportedly fired several times at Yap, prompting Magpali to retaliate, killing the soldier at the scene.
Police said Magpali and Yap also suffered gunshots to the body and are now recuperating at the Chinese General Hospital in Manila. – Neil Jayson Servallos
