Barangay captain, 4 others killed in Pampanga police operation

A barangay captain and four members of an alleged private armed group were killed in firefight in Arayat, Pampanga before dawn on Saturday.

In an interview on dzBB, Sr. Supt. Joel Consulta, provincial director of the Pampanga Police said that suspects resisted arrest and engaged authorities in a 40-minute encounter that erupted at about 2 a.m.

FLASH: 5-katao, kabilang ang isang kapitan ng barangay, patay matapos manlaban sa operasyon ng pulisya sa Arayat, Pampanga. pic.twitter.com/D5fFB3NkzP

— DZBB Super Radyo (@dzbb) March 18, 2017

"Nagkaroon tayo ng armed encounter na nag-last po ng 40 minutes. Nasugatan nga po yung isang pulis natin na member ng SWAT. Unfortunately, ito pong lumaban napatay po ng ating mga [pulis]," Consulta said.

"Napansin noong [alias] 'Jack Jack' na may mga pulis, sila po yung naunang magpaputok," he added.

Consulta identified two of the fatalities as Barangay captain Melvin Guevarra of Barangay Cupang and a certain "Jack Jack" Pineda.

"Allegedly involved sa illegal drugs pero most ng information na nakuha namin private armed group sila," he added.

He said that Judge Celso Baguio of the Regional Trial Court of Gapan, Nueva Ecija issued a warrant for the arrest of Guevarra for illegal possession of firearms.

Police recovered from the suspects two Armalite riffles, two caliber .45 hand guns, and a caliber-.38 revolver.

Consulta said that further investigation at the crime scene was ongoing as of this posting. —Marlly Rome C. Bondoc/LBG,GMA News