FX holdup suspect slain

An alleged FX taxi holdup man was killed and two of his cohorts were arrested after they shot it out with elements of the Western Police District in Escolta, Manila, the other night.

The slain suspect was identified by police reports as a certain Paring. His alleged cohorts, meanwhile, were identified as Rafael Rocha, 24, of B-12 Dagat-Dagatan, Caloocan City; and Mauro Mercado, 33, also of the same address.

Police reports said that the suspects were aboard the "Alagao" FX taxi with plate number WEV-460 with the other passengers identified as Rolando Alare, Saucer Villamejon, Romeo Subiato, Nelia Besa, Robert Kabigting and Cindy Andaya and were cruising along Reina Regente at about 9 p.m. when they announced the holdup.

Armed with handguns, the suspects ordered the driver, Sandy Portacio, to proceed to the Manila South Harbor.

But the quick-thinking Portacio, drove to the one-way Escolta street upon seeing uniformed policemen Senior Police Officer 4 Emilio dela Fuente, of the WPD Motorcycle Unit; SPO4 Alejandro Salamat, Senior Police Officer 3 Antonio Espadero, Police Officer 3 Alberto Mapilisan, Police Officer 1 Ronillo Marquez, and PO1 Darwin Laluz, all detailed with the WPD Binondo (WPD-11) police station.

The policemen were then alerted and approached the FX taxi. But according to reports, as Salamat was approaching the van, he was shot by the suspects but missed. This prompted the other policemen to return fire.

Reports said Salamat and Dela Fuente shot the rear tires of the FX van. But Paring commandeered the vehicle and tried to drive away. It was at this point that Espadero, Mapilisan, Marquez and Laluz, onboard scooters, chased the FX until reaching the corner of Asuncion and Moriones streets in Binondo, Manila.

There, another shootout ensued that left one of the suspects dead and his two cohorts arrested. Rocha and Mercado are now detained at the Binondo Police Station where they are facing charges of attempted robbery and illegal possession of firearms.

Meanwhile in Quezon City, police arrested four persons Thursday in separate incidents in Quezon City after they were tagged as members of a notorious car theft syndicate.

Operatives of the Central Police District (CPD) also recovered six stolen vehicles after the arrests.

Suspects Job Fernandez, 29, and his wife Analiza, 28, both residents of 127 Senatorial St., Sitio Talanay, Batasan Hills, Quezon City, are now detained at the CPD headquarters as they await charges to be filed against them.

They were arrested after a brief shootout with policemen at about 9:30 p.m. at their home in Sitio Talanay. Recovered from the two was the White Toyota Corolla sedan (USL-219), which reportedly belonged to a policeman.

Authorities also confiscated from the Fernandezes an M-16 rifle they used in the shootout, a weighing scale, two plastic sachets of shabu, and assorted drug paraphernalia.

In a separate incident, car theft suspects Fermin Encabo, 34, and Reynald Antonio, 35, were caught in the act of trying to forcefully open a car in Greenwood Land Holdings located at 61-B Boni Serrano St., Quezon City.

The two were presented to media along with the Fernandezes, although both denied they were part of a carnapping syndicate. Encabo and Antonio were arrested after police caught them destroying the door lock of a gray and red Mitsubishi Lancer. – Mike Frialde and Matthew Estabillo