A 29-year-old man who was reported to have been roaming around the area of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) with a bladed weapon was arrested by Manila Police District (MPD) operatives in Sampaloc, Manila on Wednesday, Oct. 11.
The MPD-Barbosa Police Station (PS-14) identified the suspect as Erwin Mendoza, a resident of Tondo, Manila, and a member of the notorious Bahala na Gang.
He was arrested around 1:55 a.m. in front of the university’s gate on Padre Noval Street, corner of Delos Reyes Street.
Authorities said they received a phone call from a concerned citizen about the man who was armed with a long knife while roaming around the area.
The police recovered from the suspect’s possession the bladed weapon or “bolo.”
Prior to his arrest, intelligence personnel of PS-14 were already conducting surveillance around UST after receiving an alert from the university's Freedom Wall social media page.
"Warning to my fellow Thomasians, avoid going to Dapitan alone or far away from any security guard! There is a guy (brown jacket, brown cap) with a big "knife" roaming around that area (specifically near Santorini) clearly, he has intentions to steal and harm students," the post read.
It also warned the students to avoid going to the area, especially in the afternoon.
The police said the suspect was in the area preying on possible victims that he could rob.
He is now detained at PS-14 and facing charges for illegal possession of deadly weapons under the Omnibus Election Code of the Philippines.