A 32-year-old man died after being stabbed multiple times while sleeping on a sidewalk by a man he allegedly struck with a metal pipe earlier the same day in Ermita, Manila.

The victim, identified as Romnick Abion, managed to run after the attack but collapsed and died along San Marcelino Street around 10 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 2.

According to barangay officials, the incident was reported by Abion’s minor son, who was with him when the stabbing occurred.

Initial investigation revealed that the suspect and the victim had an altercation earlier that morning when Abion, who had been instructed to reprimand street dwellers in the area, confronted a group along San Marcelino.

The confrontation escalated into a fistfight after the suspect resisted, leading to tension between the two men.

The 35-year-old suspect was arrested in Paco Park shortly after the incident.

Authorities recovered the knife used in the attack, which had been buried under a tree, along with a pair of gloves and the knife’s container.

Police said the suspect admitted that he had returned to the area to stab the victim after being hit on the head and thigh with a metal pipe during their earlier fight.

The suspect is now in the custody of the Homicide Section of the Manila Police District and is facing charges of murder.

Meanwhile, the victim’s partner has appealed for assistance in reaching out to Abion’s relatives in Bicol, as only family members are authorized to claim his remains from the funeral home.