BY MAE SINGUAY and CYRUS GARDE
BACOLOD City – A suspected leader of a notorious criminal group was killed while attempting to hold up a police officer in Barangay Villamonte.
Jonnie “JR” Villarete of Purok Sawmill, Barangay Bata died of several gunshot wounds on the body, a Police Station 4 report showed.
Police said Villarete leads the Villarete criminal gang.
Villarete’s accomplice Rustan Picardal was injured. He sustained gunshot wounds on the leg, added the police.
Picardal was currently undergoing treatment at the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital.
Another accomplice, who the police only identified as “Niño,” managed to escape on board a blue Mitsubishi Adventure car.
The 33-year-old Police Officer 2 Eric Pableo of Talisay City, Negros Occidental – who is assigned at the Maritime Station in Barangay Banago, Bacolod City – was driving his motorcycle around 12:30 a.m. on Monday when Villarete, Picardal and Niño waylaid him and declared holdup, the report stated.
The suspects were armed with an M16 rifle replica, according to the police.
Pableo then fired at the suspects using his .9mm service firearm, hitting Villarete and Picardal.
The M16 rifle replica was now under the custody of the police. Investigation was still ongoing.
Villerete was allegedly once a member of the notorious Cuadra robbery group, police said.
He was arrested in the previous months on the strength of various arrest warrants but was released when he posted bail./PN
