Police protect fugitive son or retired general: family attorney

Santo Domingo.- Plutarco Jáquez, attorney forthe family of the guard killed duringthe fatal armored truck heist in Bella Vista Mall, on Friday accused theNational Police of protecting John Percival Matos, alleged head of the ring ofbank robbers.

He said the fugitive gets protection becausehe has distributed the stolen money among police officers.

Jáquez said the authorities know Percival´s whereabouts,after the authorities declared him a fugitive on Sept. 14. "They knowwhere he is and they are protecting him. I myself located him in Barahona andlet them know, but they haven’t done anything. "

The son of retired general Rafael PercivalPeña is the main suspect in the August 5 killing of armored truck guard HectorGarcia, 52, and is also sought in connection with several armed robberies,including at the department store La Sirena in Santo Domingo Este.