(Eagle News) – The taxi driver, who was allegedly held up by teenager Carl Angelo Arnaiz, and another witness who allegedly saw the teenager’s killing both testified in a Senate hearing on Monday, October 2, that they saw two Caloocan City policemen shoot Arnaiz while he was kneeling with his hands raised.
Tomas Bagcal said that Caloocan City cops PO1 Jeffrey Perez and PO1 Ricky Arquilita, shot the 19-year old former University of the Philippines student at around 4 a.m. on August 19, and that there was no shootout that happened at the time of the killing dawn of August 19.
Before that, Bagcal said that he brought Arnaiz alive to the Caloocan City police station, but that the cops had another idea.
“Sabi po nila, itapon na lang at gilitan ng leeg,” Bagcal said, referring to another policeman he identified as a “Sir Lakay.”
He said the policemen at the police station then instructed him to go back and drive his taxi. “Sir Lakay” then rode his taxi, instructing him to follow a mobile where the cops held Carl Arnaiz.
When they stopped, he saw that Carl was kneeling at a roadside with his hands raised.
Bagcal then said that the cops shot the defenseless teenager.
When asked by Senator Grace Poe if the cops who killed Carl were also present in the hearing, Bagcal said yes and pointed to PO1 Perez and PO1 Arquilita.
Bagcal claimed that the hold-up happened the night of August 18 in Caloocan City.
Meanwhile, the other witness, who was identified only as a certain Joe Daniel, also testified that he saw the same two cops shoot at the defenseless Arnaiz.
But he said that the time of the killing was around 2 a.m. of August 19.
He said that he also saw the cops bring out a white substance from inside the mobile and placed it near the hands of the already slain Arnaiz.
He said he could not identify what the white thing was.
The witness, Joe Daniel, came to the senate hearing with his face covered to protect his identity.
(Eagle News Service)