Manila cop shoots jeepney robber dead

MANILA, Philippines - An off-duty policeman shot dead a suspected robber who reportedly held up the passengers of a Tondo-bound jeepney where the cop happened to be on board on Maundy Thursday.

Senior Police Officer 4 Alfredo de la Rosa, 51, detailed as desk officer at the Ilaya police community precinct, was reportedly in civilian clothes and was on his way home when the incident occurred.

Case investigator SPO2 Benito Cabatbat identified the heavily tattooed fatality as Francis Lloyd Lorenzo, 24, jobless, a Batang City Jail gang member and a resident of Magsaysay st., Tondo. A cellular phone reportedly taken from one of the jeepney passengers was recovered from the slain suspect.

Cabatbat said De la Rosa was one of the passengers of the jeepney when Lorenzo, armed with a kitchen knife, reportedly announced the heist and divested a woman passenger of her cellphone. A commotion ensued as De la Rosa introduced himself as a cop and ordered Lorenzo to surrender. However, Lorenzo reportedly lunged at De la Rosa, prompting the latter to fire his service pistol, hitting the suspect in the body. De la Rosa then ordered the jeepney driver to bring them to the nearest hospital but bystanders tried to lynch him. The timely arrival of responding policemen prevented the mob from ganging up on De la Rosa.

Two relatives of the victim, Teresita and Remedios Lorenzo, who introduced themselves as employees of the National Police Commission, came to the homicide section of the Manila Police District yesterday and urged Cabatbat to file charges against De la Rosa.

However, MPD officer-in-charge Chief Superintendent Rodolfo Magtibay expressed his support to the action of De la Rosa of shooting at the suspected robber. “Let (the relatives) file charges against my policeman. (De la Rosa) is only acting upon his call of duty. I will provide him legal support,” Magtibay said.

Meanwhile, a heavily tattooed armed man was slain in a shootout with responding policemen early morning yesterday in Tondo.

SPO1 Christopher Llanes and POs2 Rodolfo Mayo Jr. and Roman Jimenez were reportedly investigating a riot that occurred at Gate 54 of the Parola Compound when fired at.

The cops retaliated and hit the unidentified aggressor described as between 20 and 25 years old, at least five-foot-five tall, with short hair, heavily tattooed and with earrings. An improvised shotgun was recovered from the fatality.

The indiscriminate firing also resulted in the wounding of Jomar Acal, 22, and two male minors. They were rushed to the Gat Andres Bonifacio Hospital.