Cop dies after falling off police vehicle in Bulacan town

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SAN MIGUEL, BULACAN — A 26-year-old policeman died after he fell from the back of a police troop carrier vehicle while traversing the Maharlika highway in this town early morning on Wednesday, Feb. 28.

Bulacan police director Colonel Relly Arnedo said in a report that Patrolman Edmond John Arenas, a resident of Barangay (village) Buliran in Cabanatuan City, died while being taken to San Miguel District Hospital.

Arenas was at the back of a police-marked troop carrier Hyundai 100 vehicle traversing along the southbound lane of Maharlika highway in Barangay Balite when, at about 5 a.m., he suddenly fell onto the highway and was struck and ran over by an approaching Mitsubishi L200 vehicle owned by the municipal government of Villaverde in Nueva Vizcaya and being driven by Joel Rivera, 53.

Arenas, driver of the police vehicle Patrolman Klein Orbita, and another policeman traveling with them at the time were assigned to the Second Provincial Mobile Group Company based in Barangay Bohol na Mangga, San Ildefonso town, also in Bulacan. They were going to the City of Meycauayan for a deployment assignment.

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Arnedo said they are now conducting a thorough investigation to determine the other circumstances that led to the incident.

Meanwhile, Rivera is now in the custody of San Miguel police and will be charged with reckless imprudence resulting in homicide.