Suspect dies in police custody after allegedly threatening cop

A 25-year-old suspect died in police custody after allegedly threatening a police officer, GMA 7 news program "24 Oras Weekend" reported on Saturday.

Manila Police District (MPD) Station 11 police officers arrested Johnny Vallente for Estafa on June 6 after the suspect failed to pay his P2,000 food bill.

Vallente also had a "disobendience to authority" complaint filed against him after he allegedly directed expletives at the police officers who trying to get him to pay his bill.

Vallente underwent inquest proceedings for both cases also on June 6.

He posted bail on Monday and was set to go free. However, at around 12:30 p.m., other detainees allegedly noticed he was having difficulty breathing.

He was brought to hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.

Vallente's family, who claimed he did not have any serious illness, believed station police officers were responsible for his death.

"'Yun lang po, 'yung mabigyan ng hustisya 'yung kapatid ko po," Johnny's brother, Nicolas, said.

The Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC), which had come to the assistance of the family, said they received information that Vallente threatened a police officer while he was in detention.

"'Yung bata yata ay parang pinagbantaan yata 'yung isa sa mga pulis na 'Babalikan kita.' So nakakulong pa siya," Marlo Raymundo of the VACC said.

"Nakapagtataka ro'n, bakit namatay ng ganu'n, kaya dinala sa ospital? Something fishy na may nangyari sa kanya because of that threat...Maaring mag-retaliate against the threat," he added.

The VACC, did not disclose the source of the information, nor did they identify the police officer Vallente had allegedly threatened.

Though findings of an autopsy performed on Vallente had yet to be released, PS-11's police report identified "septic shock" as the cause of death.

PS-11 investigators working on the case refused to give any comment, while the station's commander was reportedly not at his office.

The MPD itself has yet to comment on the VACC's allegations. — Margaret Claire Layug/DVM, GMA News