Criminology Graduate Chasing a Cellphone Thief Attacked and Killed by a Crowd
WRONGFULLY ACCUSED? – A criminology graduate looking for a job in Manila was tragically beaten and stabbed to death after being mistaken for a cellphone thief in Barangay 718.
Christian Ambon, 26, had recently arrived from Samar when he became the victim of a robbery. While chasing the real thief, people in the area wrongly thought he was the culprit. A group quickly gathered, cornered him, and started attacking him. A video of the incident shows residents hitting him with wooden sticks. He was later found without a shirt, his hands tied, and with a stab wound on his side.
Ambon was taken to the hospital but died the next morning. His heartbroken mother, Bonifacia Ambon, said her son would never steal, even though they were struggling financially. Before he passed away, Ambon told her that he had been the actual victim. He said a man known as “Junjun” had stolen his cellphone, and when he chased after him, a woman shouted, “Magnanakaw, magnanakaw!”—causing the crowd to attack him.
Bonifacia also said that some people wanted to throw her son’s body into the river, supposedly following an order from Barangay Captain Mark Delfin. However, Delfin denied this and claimed that Ambon was the one who started the fight. According to the barangay, Ambon had pulled out a knife first and tried to attack someone, which led to the chaos. They also said they did not know anyone named “Junjun.”
Even though he was the victim, Ambon was later charged with trespassing and frustrated murder. Meanwhile, his family is determined to get justice by filing cases against the people who attacked him and the thief who stole his cellphone. The Manila Police District’s homicide division is now investigating to determine the truth behind the conflicting stories.
Ambon’s family hopes to bring his body back to Samar, but they are struggling financially to do so.