$5K cash bail for man who staged 3-hour drama

A $5,000 cash bail was imposed yesterday on the man who allegedly grabbed two machetes from Feng Hua Store in San Jose, threatened to kill his wife, then barricaded himself on the third floor of the store’s building before surrendering to police.

Alfred Jacob Teregeyo Kaipat, 31, was taken to court yesterday morning for his initial appearance on charges of theft, disturbing the peace, and violation of an order of protection.

Superior Court Associate Judge Teresa Kim-Tenorio ordered Kaipat to have no direct or indirect contact with his wife, Yanyu Chou Kaipat, and the owner of Feng Hua Store.

Preliminary hearing will be on Aug. 4, 2015, at 1:30pm.

Assistant public defender Tillman Clark served as counsel for the defendant. Assistant attorney general Barbara Cepeda represented the government at the hearing.

Police detective Catherine B. Pangelinan stated in her report that police officer Jackson Jack was dispatched on Saturday at 11:07am to a theft incident at Feng Hua Store along Monsignor Guerrero Road in San Jose.

Pangelinan said the store’s owner told Jack that the cashier informed her that one of her tenants, Kaipat, came into the store and grabbed two machetes and walked out without paying for it.

The machetes measure about 2 1/2 feet and were worth $27 each, Saipan Tribune learned.

A few minutes later, the cashier’s husband came into the store and told the store’s owner to call the police because he heard Kaipat say that he plans to kill his wife with the machetes. Kaipat was quoted as saying he would rather kill his wife than let her divorce him and go back to China.

Jack walked to the parking lot and saw Kaipat through the glass window staring at him and holding the machetes up in both hands. Jack noticed that Kaipat had other knives around his waist.

Jack asked for additional police backup. Another police officer came and they requested for Special Enforcement Action Section and investigators as Kaipat had barricaded himself with machetes and knives.

At 12pm, Pangelinan said she arrived at the scene with patrol commander Jose Saures, Commonwealth Bureau of Investigation commander Jeffrey Olopai, SEAS in-charge Sgt. Anthony Macaranas, and firefighter-in charge Frances I. Manglona.

Pangelinan said people in the area were evacuated, the neighboring stores were closed down, and traffic was diverted. The perimeter from Feng Hua to the nearby Friendly Market was barricaded and all cars in the parking lot were removed.

Pangelinan said she noticed Kaipat was holding two machetes and had other knives around his waist. Kaipat was seen swinging the machetes toward his neck and chest and hitting the table with the machete.

Pangelinan said she also heard shattering glass and loud pounding coming from the third floor.

Kaipat also would put the machetes out of the glass window, showing them to the police officers in the parking lot.

At 12:47pm, a detective interviewed Kaipat’s wife, Yanyu Chou Kaipat, who was crying inside the patrol vehicle in the parking lot of Dolphin Store.

Yanyu Chou gave the detective a copy of a court’s order of protection against Kaipat. The order was signed by Associate Judge Kenneth L. Govendo on July 1, 2015.

Court papers also show that Yanyu Chou filed a divorce case against Kaipat and the case is pending in court.

Govendo’s order prohibited Kaipat from, among other things, using or possessing any firearms or other weapons.

Yanyu Chou disclosed that Kaipat came to her store in Dandan three days ago so she told him she would call the police. Kaipat left. Two days later, Kaipat went to their apartment at Feng Hua building so Yanyu Chou called the police. Kaipat then left.

On Friday night, Yanyu Chou decided to sleep in her store because she was scared to go home. On Saturday morning, she received a call from the store’s owner that Kaipat got two machetes from the store and had threatened to kill her.

Kaipat’s family members who arrived at the scene tried to persuade him to surrender. Kaipat’s mother tried to talk through the public address system for Kaipat to come down the building, but he refused.

It was when Kaipat’s 5-year-old niece talked to him, crying and begging him to come down the building, that Kaipat finally walked down the stairway with the weapons with him.

Pangelinan said that when Kaipat reached the first floor he sat on the stairway and put the weapons on his right side. SEAS officers then secured him.