Cop, 2 robbers killed in Las Piñas shootout

A policeman and two suspected robbers were killed in a shootout near a checkpoint along the Alabang-Zapote Road in Las Piñas last Tuesday night.

Police Officer 2 Francisco Pangilinan, 28, and a resident of Casimiro Townhomes in Pulang Lupa I, Las Piñas, was killed in a firefight that ensued after accosting two men acting suspiciously in front of a convenience store in Barangay Almanza I.

Case investigator PO2 Teoson Rosarito said one of the suspects was killed on the spot while another died at a hospital in Cavite.

Initial investigation conducted by the local police showed that around 10:30 p.m., Pangilinan and a PO2 Eduardo Gregorio were manning a checkpoint in the area when they noticed Mendoza and a companion lingering near a store for more than an hour.

As the two policemen approached the suspects, one of them pulled out a caliber .38 revolver and fired at the lawmen.

Pangilinan was able to hit the suspects with his service 9mm pistol.

Mendoza was killed on the spot while his wounded cohort managed to flee.

Investigators said a third suspect, who served as a lookout, shot Pangilinan in the back.

The other officer fired at the suspect using his M-16 rifle, but the latter was able to get away.

The wounded suspect, later identified as Alex Angeles, was able to reach Barangay Molino in Bacoor, Cavite. Residents in the area brought him to the Metro South Hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound in the right side of his body. He died while being treated by doctors.

Rosarito said a team has been formed to track down the third suspect.