Gun, cash seized from motorist who engaged cops in car chase

By Jennifer P. Rendon

A motorist was arrested after engaging cops in a vehicle chase.

The chase started from Jaro, Iloilo City and ended in neighboring Pavia town in Iloilo province where members of the Iloilo City Mobile Force Company collared Roger Roy Vargas, a resident of Barangay Tagbac, Jaro district, around 10:30 p.m. of Feb. 13, 2020.

Police had to shoot the vehicle’s tire to prevent Vargas from fleeing.

As his Mitsubishi Pajero (license plate WSN-328) was rendered immobile, pursuing policemen approached him but the suspect allegedly refused to get out.

He was literally dragged out of his vehicle where cops saw a caliber .9mm pistol with two loaded magazines, more or less P100,000 cash, a wristwatch, and several identification cards.

One of the ID cards was allegedly issued by the National Bureau of Investigation-Western Visayas Regional Office (NBI-WEVRO).

Before Vargas’s arrest, brothers John and Michael Dondoyano of Barangay Dulonan, Arevalo, claimed that the suspect appeared to provoke or hurt them.

The two brothers claimed they were driving a motorcycle on the circumferential road at Barangay Buhang, Jaro when Vargas drove like he was about to sideswipe them.

The suspect even lowered the vehicle’s window and turned on and off the car’s headlights.

As they approached the intersection at Barangay Ungka, the Dondoyano brothers saw members of the ICMFC conducting patrol operations.

They asked for assistance and the police ran after Vargas.

Vargas, reports indicated, even attempted to ram his car into the police vehicle, prompting the cops to shoot its tire.

The suspect was later cornered at Barangay Aganan, Pavia.

Meanwhile, the Dondoyano brothers said they were puzzled why Vargas would pick on them since they don’t know each other.

They claimed to have simply passed by Vargas’s vehicle, which was parked in a dimly-lit area at Barangay Tacas, Jaro.

Vargas denied provoking the Dondoyanos. He also claimed to be unaware that the police were running after him since he was talking to a friend over the phone.

He only noticed that the cops were chasing him when he felt something wrong with his car. But he admitted that he was drunk during the chase.

The suspect was turned over to the Jaro Police Station while charges are being readied against him.