Two snatchers were captured yesterday, following a police chase along Magsaysay Avenue and Lacson Street in Bacolod City.

Police identified one of the suspects as 24-year-old Jovi Bon Japitana, a resident of Barangay Mandalagan in the said city. While cops refused to identify his accomplice, who is a minor, they confirmed he is the suspect’s brother.

Initial investigations by Police Station 1 (PS1) said the victim, only identified as ‘Rosie,’ was having lunch inside her shop located at the Metrodome, located along Araneta Street, when the suspects entered her establishment.

The elder Japitana initially asked the victim if they had shorts for sale, before snatching the victim’s mobile phone and pocket wifi, and immediately bolting out of the building.

Security guards tried to chase the two suspects, but the two climbed onto the back of a passenger jeepney to escape.

Units from the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) Mobile Anti-Street Crime Operatives (MASCO) were later alerted to the incident and immediately gave chase, which ended just outside of BCPO headquarters, where they attempted to ride a bus to elude arrest.

Police recovered the two stolen items, along with another mobile phone, which was owned by one of the suspects.

The suspects refused to be interviewed following their arrest, but they claimed they committed the crime in order to pay for their electric bill.

The elder Japitana is facing theft charges and is presently incarcerated at PS1. His younger brother, meanwhile, is set to be turned over to the city’s Social Development Center (SDC)./DGB, WDJ