By VANNE ELAINE P. TERRAZOLA
A soldier was mauled and disarmed by crew members of a pizza store in Quezon City as he tried to rob the establishment Monday night.
Ventura Ramirez Jr., 37, an active member of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, was turned over to the Quezon City Police District’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (QCPD-CIDU) in Camp Karingal after operatives of Kamuning Police Station (PS-10) arrested him.
Police said Ramirez, a resident of Mandaluyong City, was wearing a helmet when he entered the pizza store on Kalayaan Avenue, Barangay Pinyahan, around 10 p.m. and, at gunpoint, declared a holdup.
While entering the cashier’s booth, one of the store’s crew members pushed the door to distract the armed soldier.
At this point, another employee grabbed Ramirez’s .45-caliber pistol. Three other employees then beat him up to make sure he would not escape.
The employees immediately called the PS-10 leading to the arrest of Ramirez.
Police said that as of yesterday Ramirez was still confined at the Capitol Medical Center due to injuries he sustained.
Police said the soldier failed to present documents for the gun seized from him. Also confiscated from him were various AFP identification cards, a motorcycle, a black bonnet, and a red mask.
Probers said they will file attempted robbery and illegal possession of firearm charges against Ramirez.
