19-2-2025 (MANILA) authorities have captured the prime suspect in last year’s fatal shooting of a National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) lawyer’s son in Baguio City.
John Michael Garcia was taken into custody on Monday afternoon following a coordinated operation in Malolos, Bulacan. The arrest was executed by a joint taskforce comprising NBI agents from the Pampanga, Ilocos, and Cordillera district offices.
The suspect was wanted for the murder of 29-year-old Luke Maraneg, son of NBI agent and lawyer Dickson Maraneg. The younger Maraneg was fatally shot on 24 November 2024 in the Happy Homes area of Barangay Ferdinand, Baguio City.
According to NBI-Pampanga investigators, the tragic incident appears to have been a case of mistaken targeting. Garcia’s intended victim was reportedly Gino Manolo Banta, his girlfriend’s former partner, who was with Maraneg at the time of the shooting.
The arrest was made possible through a warrant issued by Branch 78 of the Baguio City Regional Trial Court. Prior to his capture, Garcia had been evading law enforcement by constantly moving between Baguio City, Pangasinan, and La Union.
The breakthrough in the case came after extensive surveillance operations led NBI agents to a relative’s residence in Barangay Mambog, where they successfully apprehended the suspect.
