New witnesses: Carl shot at cops first

A couple went to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group’s National Capital Region (CIDG-NCR) office at Camp Crame yesterday, claiming former University of the Philippines student Carl Angelo Arnaiz opened fire at policemen first, triggering a shootout that led to his death.

The two new witnesses said their conscience bothered them and they wanted to tell the truth: that Arnaiz’s death was the result of a shootout.

“Isipin na din po natin na ginagawa ng mga pulis yung trabaho nila tapos ganyan pa ang mangyayari (Just think that the police officers are just doing their jobs and then this happens),” the female witness said in a television interview over GMA News.

The couple, who were riding a tricycle, said they had just dropped off a passenger when they saw two men pursuing a man clad in a black jacket along C-3 Road at around 3:30 a.m. on Aug. 18.

The male witness claimed the two men, whom he said were police officers, were shouting at the man.

The couple said the man in a black jacket pulled out a handgun and shot at the policemen. They hid for 10 minutes until the gunfire subsided.

They said it was only in news reports they learned the gunman was Arnaiz.

Senior Superintendent Wilson Asueta, who heads the CIDGNCR, said the two have yet to execute their affidavits.

“They will return. We need to further validate and evaluate their statements,” Asueta said in a text message.

Arnaiz’s parents filed charges of double murder, torture and planting of evidence against Police Officers 1 Ricky Arquilita and Jeffrey Perez before the Department of Justice (DOJ) for the deaths of Arnaiz and his companion, 14-yearold Reynaldo “Kulot” de Guzman, whose body was found in Nueva Ecija with 28 stab wounds.

The policemen sought the dismissal of charges against them in a joint rejoinder affidavit submitted to the DOJ yesterday.

They insisted that Arnaiz was killed in a shootout after he allegedly robbed taxi driver Tomas Bagcal along C-3 Road.

The policemen reiterated that the incident took place at around 3:30 a.m. on Aug. 18 – contrary to an eyewitness account and forensic exam results that Arnaiz was killed at around 1:30 a.m.

Their account, however, was rebutted by the earlier testimony of the eyewitness who said that there was no shootout and Arnaiz even begged for his life when he was shot by the police officers.

The DOJ is set to hold a final hearing on Nov. 7 before submitting the case for resolution.