With wife and kid in tow, off-duty cop stops snatcher in Tondo

An off-duty police officer on a motorcycle went on a chase in Tondo, Manila with his wife and kid in tow just to apprehend a man he caught snatching a cellphone.

According to a 24 Oras report by Jun Veneracion on Tuesday,  Police Officer 2 Mel Bautista was going to drop off his wife and seven year-old daughter when he saw a man run off with a jeepney passenger's phone.

CCTV footage of the incident last Friday showed how Bautista maneuvered his motorcycle through traffic and into an alleyway to arrest the suspect identified as Arnulfo Bamical.

Even with his family riding with him, the police officer said he couldn't kick the urge to step in.

"Medyo natakot ang asawa ko pero... naiintindihan niya ang trabaho ng pulis," Bautista told GMA News.

"Tawag po ng tungkulin na kailangan aksiyonan po...'Yung pagiging pulis parin ang nangibabaw sa akin eh," he added.

The policeman caught the suspect without firing a single shot.

"Wala naman pong panganib pa sa buhay ko 'nung time na 'yun. Kaya hindi ko pa po naisip na paputukan po siya. Maraming sibilyan ang madadamay kung sakaling ginawa ko 'yun," Bautista said.

"Kabayanihan ang ginawa niya. Hindi niya inalintana kung ano ang mangyayari sa kanila. Gusto niya ay makatulong lang sa kapwa niya," said Dolores Teloza, chairwoman  of Barangay 46. —Margaret Claire Layug/JST, GMA News