By CESAR JOLITO III

A police officer was injured after being stabbed multiple times while attempting to pacify a street commotion at Barangay Caliban in Negros Occidental’s Murcia town in the early morning yesterday.

The victim, a 36-year-old police staff sergeant and member of the City Drug Enforcement Unit assigned to the Bacolod City Police Office, sustained stab wounds at 4:40 a.m. in Purok Lacson.

He is a resident of the same barangay.

Police identified the suspect as 29-year-old alias “Roian,” a resident of Purok Super L, Don Salvador Benedicto’s Barangay Pandanon.

“Roian” fled the scene after the incident.

According to police investigation, the officer was sleeping inside his friend’s house when he was awakened by a heated altercation outside involving “Roian” and another individual identified as alias “Toyu.”

The police officer went outside to intervene and calm the two individuals.

However, during the confrontation, the suspect allegedly pulled out a bladed weapon from his waist and stabbed the officer several times in different parts of his body.

The injured officer was first rushed to the Murcia Health Center for initial treatment before being transferred to the Bacolod Adventist Medical Center for further medical attention.

Authorities recovered a kitchen knife at the crime scene, believed to have been used in the stabbing.

The officer’s service firearm, a Glock 17 pistol with serial number PNP15201, was secured and turned over to the investigator-on-case for proper documentation.

Murcia police launched a hot pursuit operation to track down and arrest the suspect, while further investigation is ongoing./CJ, WDJ