Ex-cop, linked to 'spare tire' robbers, slain in shootout

A former policeman was killed in a shootout in Quezon City Thursday night after his alleged group was seen stealing a spare tire of a parked sports utility vehicle (SUV).

The group of Roberto Lee, 44, is reportedly responsible for the thefts of spare tires of SUVs parked along Timog and Tomas Morato Avenues, said Inspector Angelo Nicolas, chief of the anti-carjacking section of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD).

“They had been tagged in several similar incidents in the past, including the one involving the vehicle of the secretary of (Quezon City) Mayor (Feliciano) Belmonte Jr.,” Nicolas said.

He said that “after the shootout, we found seven tires inside their abandoned vehicle, all of which were from SUVs,” noting that each tire costs around P30,000.

Lee died on the spot due to gunshot wounds after a running gunbattle with policemen. His two companions were able to escape at the height of the gunbattle and are now the subject of a manhunt.

Superintendent Marcelino Pedrozo Jr., deputy chief of the QCPD-Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit, said Lee is a former member of the Manila Police District who was dismissed in the late 1990s over a drug-related case and for being absent without official leave.

Pedrozo, who also used to be with the MPD, recalled they were the ones who raided Lee’s residence in Tondo for alleged illegal gambling activities.

“During the raid, we found out that the house was also being used as a den for pot sessions,” he said.