Bacolod City’s most wanted personality, who is a suspect in the killing of a teenager and the raping of his girlfriend at the BREDCO Port last year, was arrested by the police yesterday.

Nabbed was Ariel de la Cruz of Purok Magti-ayon in Brgy. 10, Bacolod, City Police Director, Senior Supt. Ricardo de la Paz, said yesterday.

De la Cruz is now confined at the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital after he was hit by a bullet on his leg during a shootout with policemen at about 8:15 a.m. yesterday, Station 3 chief, Senior Insp. Conrado Rances, told the DAILY STAR.

Rances said his men were conducting a hot pursuit operation against a driver who shot his colleague dead at the Bacolod North Terminal, when they were informed by a concerned citizen that a man ran towards a sugarcane field behind the terminal.

De la Cruz fired a shot at the responding policemen, prompting one of them to shoot the suspect in the leg to subdue him, Rances said.

De la Cruz initially introduced himself as “Ruel Rotas”, however, further investigation revealed he was using a fictitious name and has pending arrest warrants, he added.

De la Cruz’s arrest warrants for frustrated homicide with rape and murder were issued by Regional Trial Court Branch 51 Judge Anita Chua, police records show.

Chua set de la Cruz’s bail at P120,000 for the attempted homicide with rape charges, and denied him bail for murder charges, police records also show.

His arrest warrants were served to him at the hospital by Station 2, BCPO Investigation and Intelligence Branch policemen.

De la Cruz, an ex-convict, allegedly shot and killed Joshua Lopez, 16, of Doña Juliana Subdivision in Brgy. Taculing, Bacolod, on November 20, 2011, while he and his girlfriend were seeking shelter.

Former Station 2 chief, Senior Insp. Lester Leada, had said that de la Cruz followed the couple and without provocation, shot Lopez, and raped and tried to kill his girlfriend, but who managed to escape and seek police help.

Leada said de la Cruz had been released from the National Penitentiary in Muntinlupa, where he was jailed for drug charges.

Station 2 policemen also arrested Ely Dacumos 44, a trisikad driver who is wanted for rape, at his house in Purok Sigay, Brgy. 2, Bacolod City at about 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

Dacumos was arrested on the strength of an arrest warrant issued by RTC Judge Philadelfa Agraviador, who denied him bail.

Station 8 chief, Senior Insp. Jerick Filosofo, meanwhile, reported the arrest of Pacquito Zamora, 61, of Purok St. Vincent, Bacolod, at his house at about 3 p.m. Saturday, who is wanted for violation of the Anti-Violence against Women and their Children law.

Zamora was apprehended by virtue of an arrest warrant issued by RTC Branch 41 Judge Ray Alan Drilon, who set his bail at P24,000.*APN

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