A 42-year-old construction worker shows the stab wound on his cheek after a confrontation with his co-worker in Barangay Greater Lagro, Quezon City, on Thursday. (Photo courtesy of Pasong Putik Police Station 16)
A 28-year-old construction worker was arrested after allegedly stabbing his 42-year-old colleague during a lunch-break brawl inside a construction warehouse in Barangay Greater Lagro, Quezon City, on Thursday, July 16.
A 42-year-old construction worker shows the stab wound on his cheek after a confrontation with his co-worker in Barangay Greater Lagro, Quezon City, on Thursday. (Photo courtesy of Pasong Putik Police Station 16)
The victim suffered deep wounds on both cheeks and his back after their long-running dispute erupted into a fistfight at around 11:47 a.m.
Both employees of the same construction company were having lunch when the victim allegedly confronted the suspect for reportedly informing their foreman about him.
Their argument escalated into a fistfight before the suspect allegedly stabbed the victim.
Fellow workers intervened and stopped the fight.
The victim was rushed to Lorenzo Hospital while responding police officers cornered and arrested the suspect.
Police did not recover the alleged weapon.
The suspect denied stabbing his co-worker and claimed that he had long been bullied and provoked by the victim.
According to the suspect, the victim threw the first punch and fell onto sharp pieces of metal while they were grappling inside a fabrication area.
He also insisted that he did not use a knife, saying his co-workers knew he was not a violent person.
The suspect further claimed that the victim had repeatedly challenged him to fight outside the workplace.
However, Police Lt. Col. Timothy Aniway Jr., chief of Quezon City Police District (QCPD) Police Station 16, said the suspect's account did not match the statements of witnesses.
Aniway said several co-workers reportedly identified the suspect as the one who stabbed the victim.
The suspect remains in police custody and will face a complaint for frustrated homicide.