Police insist they did everything to immediately arrest Pasay stabbing suspect Garan

Pasay City policemen are insisting that they did everything to immediately arrest Alberto Garan, the suspect in Tuesday night's stabbing spree who killed six people before they shot him dead.

However, lapses supposedly committed by security personnel of Central Park Tower Condominium, prevented them from doing so.  

In an interview with GMA News' Chino Gaston on Balitanghali, Pasay police spokesperson Superintendent Daenry Francisco said the condominium's security personnel arrived at the Police Community Precinct 5 at 6:15 p.m. to seek assistance.

Francisco said the initial information given to the police was that Garan's first victim - Emelyn Sagun - committed suicide by jumping from the 14th floor of the building.

It was only when the police arrived at the condominium a couple of minutes later that they learned that a man on a stabbing spree was responsible for her death.

Francisco said the police went to the CCTV room of the condominium to take a look at the suspect but it took time for the security personnel to rewind the footage.

"Tumakbo ang isang pulis sa CCTV, pagdating doon nagkaroon ng problema pa rin dahil hindi marunong 'yung tao na tinawag nila. 'Yung tinawag nila na tao hindi marunong so natagalan pa bago ma-review," Francisco said. 

He said members of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) and other police personnel arrived to help scour the more than 3,000 rooms of the condominium to look for the suspect.

Garan was found and killed by responding police officers at the 22nd floor of the building around 10:30 p.m.

"Napakalaking challenge talaga sa pulis 'yung napakaraming kwarto na magki-clear ka isa isa," said Francisco.

The television report said that at 6:35 p.m., the time the suspect was seen in the footage stabbing a woman on the 16th floor of the building, the police were just starting to look for Garan from room to room.

The report added the police noted that the condominium complex only had six to seven security personnel per shift who were not  carrying firearms although reportedly trained to stop and neutralize a suspect.

Aside from Sagun, 30, the suspect's other victims were former journalist Joel Palacios, 70; Daisery Castillo, 12; Ligaya Dimapilis, 36; and Letecia Ecsiagan, 50. — Amita Legaspi/RSJ/KVD, GMA News