Senior Superintendent Leo Dillo Garra, city police chief, said that of the five, only Rolando Tacordan, 18, was of legal age.
The four others, including the acknowledged leader of the group, were residents of the depressed community in the PNR Compound in Caloocan City, all out-of-school, all 17 years of age.
In his report to Garra, Superintendent Napoleon Cuaton, Station Investigation and Detection Management Bureau (SIDMB) chief, said the boys belonged to the notorious "RJ" Gang tagged responsible for several incidents of robbery-holdup incidents along Samson Road in Caloocan, usually targeting jeepney commuters.
Complainants Maricor de la Cruz, Rosyl Quiminalos, Josefina Bernardo, Ma. Rowena Tuazon, Kinverlyn Debalucos and Denmark Doria were among those who trooped to the police station to identify the suspects.
They were positively identified as the attackers.
The arrest of the group marks their initial salvo in their "Last Quarter Battle" against crime in the city leading to the holiday season, said Station Theft and Robbery Section chief Inspector Marcelo Mariano.
The four minors, seen wearing the obligatory tangerine shirt worn by detainees when presented to the media, were to be turned over to the local social welfare office for appropriate disposition.
Mariano and his men received a commendation for the arrest of the suspects.