Charles Teves
A man pretending to be disabled was arrested by authorities after harassing passersby at the EDSA Carousel Ortigas Avenue station on May 31.
Late in the afternoon, commuters complained about the man, Ariel, harassing them and pulling out a knife every time his panhandling was rejected.
I-ACT PCG Marshal SN2 Julius Gibran Abundol III of Team Barracuda then tried to escort Ariel away but he wouldn’t budge. Instead, the fake PWD resisted and threatened Abundol with the weapon.
In the video captured, Ariel is seen dropping his crutches and going after Abundol who runs away from him.
Netizens in the comment section found it funny how Ariel ran with no problem.
Abundol eventually restrained Ariel thanks to the assistance of a bus controller.
A PNP-HPG personnel later arrived and also helped with containing the aggressive panhandler.
Apparently, Ariel is known to loiter along the busways while disturbing the peace by hurling stones at buses and cursing at passengers who don’t give him money. He is said to suffer from some mental health issues.
The public has been advised to report any similar incident to the Task Force EDSA Loop. The I-ACT also asks that people avoid sharing inaccurate content.
