Quezon City police arrest 15 in hunt for suspects in Fairview shootings

At least 15 people were brought in for questioning by police following a series of "anti-criminality" raids in Quezon City Wednesday night, days after Sunday's shootings in the city's Fairview district.

 

The Quezon City Police District arrested the 15 in searches in Barangay Payatas since late Wednesday, radio dzBB reported early Thursday.

 

Some of those arrested were caught engaging in a pot session, the report said.

 

Police seized from them firearms, a samurai sword, drugs and drug paraphernalia, dzBB's Henry Herdillo added.

 

A separate report by dzBB's Allan Gatus quoted Quezon City police head Chief Superintendent Richard Albano as saying the raids show they are going all-out against criminality.

 

Police have been on the lookout for other suspects in the fatal shooting of five people along Commonwealth and Regalado Avenues last Sunday.

 

While police have initially arrested six suspects in connection with the shootings, only one has been directly linked to Sunday's shooting.

 

Police on Wednesday released a photo of the suspected gunman in the random killing of at least five people in the Fairview area in Quezon City last Sunday.

 

A photo posted by GMA News' Jun Veneracion on the Twitter account of GMA News' "I M Ready" identified the man as Mohammad "Walad" Mautin Sandigan.

 

One of the possible motives of gunman Mohammad “Walad” Mautin Sandigan in the shooting spree last Sunday may be to shame the police, according to PNP Chief Supt. Richard Albano, who said the suspect may have had this motive while being under the influence of illegal drugs.

 

“High [sa drugs], ito ang ginawa para lang din may papahiyain din. Dalawa kasi ang pupuntahan nito. Kung gagawin mo ito ano ba ang epekto nito?” Albano said in a report from GMA's “24-Oras' newscast.

 

He added that this was not the first time the police encountered the suspect's group.

 

“Nagseserve ng warrant of arrest na malayo pa lang pinaputukan [na nila] 'yung mga pulis natin. Tinamaan 'yung dalawang pulis natin,” Albano recalled.

 

In a separate report, a resident of North Fairview who declined to be identified said the other suspects who were caught earlier were notorious in their area.

 

But a local religious leader said the suspects except for one which only got caught up in the mess were just passing by in their area.

 

“Hindi namin 'yun masyado buong kilala. Kasi minsan may mga gumagawa ng masama dito. Dito sila dumadaan,” Imam Macacuna Arobinto explained.  — Joel Locsin/Andrei Medina/ELR, GMA News