TMG set to announce carjacking ‘shocker’

Police are in the process of gathering evidence that would link 10 people to the activities of three suspected carjackers killed during a shootout with anti-car theft operatives at the Ortigas commercial center last Nov. 7.

Chief Superintendent Augusto Angcanan, officer-in-charge of the Traffic Management Group (TMG), refused to identify the new suspects so as not to jeopardize ongoing operations to take them into custody.

"We have identified the prominent personalities actively involved in carjacking," Angcanan said. "You will be shocked and won’t believe that these people are into car theft when we present them to you in due time."

He pointed out that the 10 had been monitored to be in the company of slain suspects Antonio Cu-Unjieng, Brian Anthony Dulay and Francis Xavier Manzano during the staging of a carjacking in Metro Manila.

"We cannot reveal their identities as yet for we might end up on the receiving end if we do that at this time," Angcanan said. He noted, however, that like the slain suspects, all come from well-to-do families.

The TMG chief revealed the involvement of the new set of suspects when he presented to media last Tuesday a car salesman who claimed Cu-Unjieng was one of two men who forcibly took his black Toyota Land Cruiser last Nov. 1 in San Juan.

Honorio Cruz, a sales representative of Kustom Klassiks Inc., said Cu-Unjieng identified himself as a son of a vice mayor when he expressed interest in buying a Land Cruiser.

Along with a friend identified only as Anthony, the suspect met with the car salesman in Greenhills to test drive the vehicle.

During the test drive, the Land Cruiser was taken at gunpoint from Cruz, who was left by the roadside.

Two hours after the carjacking was reported, the Land Cruiser was recovered at Loyola Grand Villas Subdivision in Barangay Concepcion Uno, Marikina City.

Two young men were spotted by village guards detaching the license plates of the vehicle. They fled as the guards approached them.

Last week, the salesman was watching the news on TV when he saw Cu-Unjieng’s face being flashed as one of the carjacking suspects slain by TMG operatives. He immediately contacted the police.

Senior Superintendent Manuel Gaerlan, Marikina City police chief, said they have also identified the suspect called "Anthony."

"We have his photo, which was confirmed by Cruz to be the companion of Cu-Unjieng. We are now taking the statements of the subdivision guards," Gaerlan said.

Angcanan pointed out that they too have statements from four witnesses, including a mayor of Isabela, to bolster their claim that the three slain suspects were indeed involved in carjacking.

Meanwhile, the TMG chief appealed for more time in releasing the findings of the fact-finding body, which he created to investigate the Ortigas shootout.

He said the fact-finding report would explain in detail the circumstances leading to the shootout, including issues "being raised by our critics."

Angcanan said the TMG will fully cooperate in the probe being conducted by the Commission on Human Rights (CHR).

He also defended the reinstatement of the 10 TMG officers involved in the shootout, claiming their expertise on intelligence buildup would lead to the speedy arrest of all the suspects.