Slain carjack suspect took victims for ‘joyride’

MANILA, Philippines - Before Arnel Canque was killed in an encounter last week, the carjacking group he reportedly led puzzled authorities because of its rather unconventional scheme – taking most of their victims for a “joyride.”

Police officials said this was because Canque started out not as a car thief but as a robber and the taking of their victims’ vehicles was incidental. They said the gang’s victims were chosen because most of them brought flashy vehicles, prompting the group to think they were rich.

Canque and three other gang mates were killed in an encounter with the police in Muntinlupa City on Oct. 23.

Canque allegedly formed the group after he was released from prison in March after serving time for robbery.

Based on a list obtained by The STAR, at least 10 carjackings and robberies have been attributed to Canque’s group since March. Eight of these cases happened in Quezon City. The Quezon City Police District (QCPD) has filed car theft charges against Canque and a number of his men in four of these carjackings.

In these 10 cases, among the car models targeted by the group were Nissan Frontier, Mitsubishi Montero, Toyota Fortuner, Toyota Vios, and Honda CRV.

Superintendent Ferdinand Villanueva, who heads the Highway Patrol Group’s Special Operations Division, said many of these victims not only lost their cars but also huge sums of money to the armed men, who either took the money they had on hand or forced them to withdraw money from ATM booths.

Villanueva closely followed Canque’s group as he used to head the QCPD’s Anti-Carnapping Unit.

He said many of the victims were not left behind at the site of the crime unlike most carjacking cases. A number of them were taken for a joyride and were just dropped in farther areas – in some cases in the provinces.

Four members would stage the actual carjacking, while three others would reconnoiter the area before the hit. The three would also be left behind to alert those in the stolen vehicle if law enforcers have responded.

Another police official, who had also tracked the carjacking gang, described Canque as “witty” and believed the venture into carjacking from robbery was a move to prevent the car owner from immediately reporting the incident to the police.

And since the car owner or the driver was in the custody of the armed men for moments following the carjacking, the latter could not immediately seek police assistance.

Citing one of the incidents, the police official said Canque had utilized the numerous exits and entry points along the North Luzon Expressway to divert policemen going after their group.