BACOLOD CITY – Two policemen were shot and wounded by a suspected drug pusher in a buy-bust operation in Sitio Sapa, Barangay Magallon Cadre, Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental on Wednesday, May 17.
The names of the wounded policemen were withheld.
Police Capt. Judesses Catalogo, spokesperson of the Negros Occidental police, said that 35-year-old Jeffrey Cabato, a newly identified street-level individual, was the subject of the operation.
Catalogo said that Cabato noticed that he was transacting with police officers and fired a gun at them to escape.
A brief chase followed, but policemen failed to arrest Cabato, as they were unfamiliar with the place, according to Catalogo.
Catalogo said he is unsure if the operatives were able to retaliate, since there were some houses in the area, and the operation was conducted in the evening.
He said the two wounded policemen were brought to a private hospital here and are now in stable condition.
Police recovered five grams of suspected shabu worth P34,000, a lighter, and a pair of scissors during the operation.
Catalogo said the suspect may face additional charges for the incident aside from his drug charges.