2 carjackers slain in shootout

Quezon City intelligence operatives killed two suspected carjackers in a running gunbattle along Commonwealth Avenue shortly before dawn yesterday.

Quezon City Police District director Senior Superintendent Magtanggol Gatdula said policemen spotted the unidentified suspects on board a gold Mitsubishi Adventure without a license plate cruising the flyover near the Iglesia ni Cristo church about 1 a.m.

He said the suspects fired at the policemen who tried to flag down the vehicle, triggering a shootout.

Gatdula said they are still investigating if the slain suspects are members of a carjack syndicate called “Rent-A-Car” gang, who prey on vehicle rental firms in Metro Manila.

He said gang members sometimes kill car owners who try to resist them. Police reports said the Mitsubishi Adventure was stolen from a certain Joseph Tejuco of Bulacan.

“We are still conducting follow-up operations,” Gatdula said.

According to reports, the vehicle was carjacked in Plaridel, Bulacan and the body of its driver, allegedly a brother of Tejuco, dumped in Sta. Maria town.

Meanwhile, police launched a manhunt for three unidentified suspects, including two women, who reportedly stole a van Sunday night in Pasay City.

Police Officer 3 Roberto Sombilon said the victim, Jose Ramon Prado,43, who was the driver of the stolen Nissan Urban Van with plate number ZIA-698, reported the incident at the police station.

Prado, a resident of Sta. Mesa Heights in Quezon City, told police investigators that around 10 p.m. while the vehicle was parked at the corner of Cabrera Street and EDSA in Pasay, the suspects – who were his passengers – threatened him with a gun and ordered him to alight from the vehicle.

The van is reportedly one of those several vehicles rented out by a company operated by a certain Franas Pineda.

Prior to the carjacking incident, Pineda reportedly received a phone call from the group, saying they wished to rent a vehicle for recreational purposes for one night only. They said they are willing to pay the rental fee of P1,200.

However, when Prado arrived in Makati City to pick up the suspects, they ordered him to bring them to Star City along Roxas Boulevard. When they reached the area, one of the suspects poked a gun at Prado and told him to get off the van. The suspects fled in the direction of Cavite.   

Sombilon said the suspects are members of an organized carnapping syndicate operating in Region 4. They are also said to be engaged in the sale of “chop-chop vehicles.”

He described the suspects to be between 25 to 35 years old. – With Rhodina Villanueva