5 carnap suspects killed in Quezon City firefight

At least five members of a carjacking syndicate were killed in an encounter with police near the Fairview area in Quezon City before dawn Monday. Police said that they believe that the gang was behind several recent carjacking cases where they would bump the victim's vehicle from the rear, introduce themselves as police officers, then strike. "Nagpapakilala silang pulis, nakauniporme na pulis. May t-shirt at sweatshirt ng mga pulis na na-recover (They would pass themselves off as policemen when victimizing motorists. We recovered police T-shirts and sweatshirts)," Chief Supt. Errol Pan, head of the Philippine National Police Traffic Management Group, said in an interview on dzBB radio. Pan personally rushed to the encounter area along Belfast St., Pasong Putik village in Quezon City, which is behind the SM Fairview area, to inspect the site. Belfast Street, a busy thoroughfare in the area, was closed to traffic for several hours as scene-of-the-crime-operations (SOCO) operatives processed the encounter site. Only one of the fatalities was identified as of 7:30 a.m. and police initially said that one was Menardo Tuazon of Bocaue, Bulacan. He was identified through a driver's license recovered from his pants pocket. At least two other suspects were believed to have escaped during the firefight. Police have launched a manhunt for them. Radio dzXL reported that one of the police vehicles (SFV-381) sustained several bullet holes inflicted by the suspects. Recovered from the suspects were some high-powered firearms, including a 9-mm pistol, three cal-.45 pistols, and one grenade. Police said it was likely the suspects were heading for a safe house in Marilao town in Bulacan province, where they are believed to cannibalize carjacked vehicles for spare parts. Initial details showed the five were riding in a maroon-silver Toyota Revo (VBX-401) along Elliptical Road when they roused suspicions from the PNP TMG's Task Force Limbas at 3:30 a.m. Limbas operatives said they became suspicious when the Revo had a dent in the back and its license plates had no Land Transportation Office sticker. It turned out one of the plates, XRX-739, was taken from a Revo carjacked on March 7 last year. Another plate at the back, ZAT-876, belonged to a Revo taken in Binondo in July 2006. Task Force Limbas called for backup, but the blinkers used by the responding backup police vehicles alarmed the suspects, who tried to shake them off. The chase ended at Belfast Street as the suspects got out of the Revo and tried to fire at the policemen. Police also said the suspects were wearing shirts with "Police" markings when they ran out of the Revo. - GMANews.TV