3 suspected carjackers eyed in family driver's slay

MANILA, Philippines - Police investigators are looking into the possibility that three suspected carjackers, who were arrested last month, could be behind the carjacking of a Pasay City judge’s Mitsubishi Montero Sport and the killing of her family driver in Quezon City Friday morning.

Inspector Rogelio Diaz, chief investigator of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) anti-carnapping unit, said suspected members of the “Marteja-Briones” gang could be behind the latest carjacking, noting that the group is known for targeting high-end vehicles like the Montero Sport.

According to Diaz, three of its members posted bail two weeks ago.

Marlon Quiocho, 33, was shot dead Friday when he resisted two carjackers demanding the keys to the black 2010 Montero Sport (NGP-591) owned by Pasay Judge Racquelen Vasquez.

Five alleged members of the Marteja-Briones carjack group were arrested in early July during a two-day operation conducted by the QCPD, which also recovered two stolen Mitsubishi Monteros.

The five who were arrested were Francis Briones, 32; Joey Villanueva; Jonathan Rodriguez; Alexander Emmanuel Aquino; and Rommel Flores.

Diaz said Villanueva and Rodriguez are still detained at the Quezon City Jail while Briones, Aquino and Flores were each able to post P600,000 bail. Diaz said the three might have executed a motion to reduce bail and paid the reduced amount.

But apart from the Marteja-Briones gang, Diaz also admitted that they are also looking into the possibility that the remnants of the group allegedly led by brothers Raymond and Roger Dominguez could be involved in the incident.

Inspector Elmer Monsalve, head of the QCPD’s Homicide Investigation Section, said that they were able to get surveillance camera footage of the two carjackers just before the incident took place at around 5:30 a.m. Friday in front of the judge’s residence in Barangay Tandang Sora.

Monsalve said they got the footage from the Canaan Catholic School, meters away from the judge’s house. The footage showed the two carjackers walking and passing the school several times before the heist.