Manila cop killed by robbers

A shootout between elements of the Western Police District’s Mobile Patrol Unit and suspected robbers in Malate early yesterday left one policeman and three suspects dead.

Investigators identified the slain police officer as 35-year-old PO3 Enrique Lazaro, one of two officers aboard prowl car 376.

Initial investigation showed that Lazaro was cruising along Quirino Avenue at about 12:30 a.m. with his partner, PO2 Dony Francisco, 28, when they noticed a suspicious heavily-tinted, maroon Nissan Sentra sedan with license plate FEG-900.

According to investigators, the prowl car followed the sedan and signaled it to stop. However, instead of stopping, the sedan sped away towards the direction of Roxas Boulevard, triggering a car chase.

The sedan was stopped by traffic near the Ospital ng Maynila. It was at this point that Lazaro and Francisco approached with guns drawn.

As the policemen approached, they were met with a hail of bullets fired from the car. Immediately, Lazaro was hit in the body and died on the spot. His partner, meanwhile, managed to return fire, riddling the car with bullets. The suspects, probers said, also fired at a nearby police outpost.

It was at this point that other prowl cars and elements of the nearby police outpost arrived at the scene and helped Francisco fire at the suspects.

During the firefight, a Toyota Revo van with unknown license plates also arrived at the scene and opened fire at the policemen. When policemen returned fire, the van sped off towards Roxas Boulevard.

When the smoke cleared, Francisco was also wounded and was rushed to the Chinese General Hospital. Also wounded was the sedan’s driver identified as Jay Aguilar, 26, a native of Cabacungan, La Castella, Negros Occidental and a resident of 279 Bagong Silang Muntinlupa. He was taken to the Ospital ng Maynila for treatment of bullet wounds in the mouth and left arm.

Found dead inside the sedan were suspects Army Private First Class Jesulito Aguilar, 28, also of 279 Bagong Silang, Muntinlupa; Ivan Malunes, 23; and Ian Ledesma, 30.

An inspection of the suspects’ car yielded an M16 rifle, a black bag containing cans of beer, two black bonnet masks and a bandolier of M16 ammunition magazines.