4 carnap suspects killed in Muntinlupa shootout
Credit to Author: Tempo Desk| Date: Fri, 08 Mar 2019 08:54:03 +0000
A PHILIPPINE National Police Highway Patrol Group officer guards the site of the encounter in which four suspected car thieves were killed in Barangay Poblacion, Muntinlupa City. (Czar Dancel)
Four alleged car thieves were shot dead by highway patrol operatives of the Philippine National Police (PNP) after evading a checkpoint in Muntinlupa City Friday morning.
Chief Superintendent Robert Fajardo, head of the PNP-Highway Patrol Group (HPG), said three of the four suspects died on the spot while the other one expired at a hospital due to multiple gunshot wounds.
The suspects have yet to be identified, but Fajardo said that several police and military identification cards were recovered from the suspects.
Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) recovered at the site three IDs — a driver’s license, a PNP ID, and a Philippine Army ID — belonging to a certain Christwin Villanueva.
Meanwhile, a separate PNP ID belonging to a certain SPO4 Wilson Advincula and an Army ID from one Sergeant Rommel Villanueva were also found at the encounter site.
Aside from the IDs, several police uniforms were also discovered from the suspects’ possession, the report added.
“Some of the IDs use the same pictures but have different names,” Fajardo said.
Initial investigation revealed that the PNP-HPG received an alert about the movement of an alleged carnapped Hyundai Accent with attached conduction plate number MP 0669. The said vehicle, according to Fajardo, has been the subject of a flash alarm.
Fajardo said he immediately ordered operatives of the HPG-Special Operations Division (HPG-SOD) Mobiles 11 and 12 to set-up a checkpoint along Don P. Reyes Avenue, Daang Reyna, Southville 3 in Poblacion, Muntinlupa.
Around 5:25 a.m., the operatives spotted and flagged down the subject vehicle driven by the four suspects.
“The operatives signaled the driver of the subject motor vehicle to pull over but instead of yielding, the occupants opened fire towards the [police],” Fajardo said in a police report.
A running gun battle ensued until the HPG operatives cornered and neutralized the suspects, Fajardo stated.
Upon verification with the Land Transportation Office (LTO) Mobile Query tool, the HPG chief bared that the conduction sticker attached to the Hyundai Accent was originally assigned to a Hyundai Eon.
Fajardo said a follow-up investigation was conducted to determine whether the police IDs and uniforms were original or fake.
Meanwhile, the PNP-HPG also coordinated with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to check on the authenticity of the recovered military ID.
Meanwhile, Fajardo said a man whose identity was withheld for security reasons went to the encounter site and recognized the car used by the slain men as the same vehicle used by the car thieves who took his van in Taguig City on Thursday night.
“He couldn’t identify the suspects but he recognized the vehicle used by the carnappers,” Fajardo said.
“The van was no longer recovered but its key was found on one of the suspects’ possession,” he noted.
Aside from the PNP IDs, uniforms and the key of the van, SOCO also recovered a shotgun and a sachet of suspected methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu from the suspect who died in the hospital. (Martin A. Sadongdong)