Cop couple took on Uzi rob gang, says MPD

MANILA, Philippines - A married couple, both police officers from the Northern Police District (NPD), foiled an attempt by members of the Uzi robbery gang to rob a motorist in downtown Manila Saturday, a Manila Police District (MPD) official said yesterday.

Senior Police Officer 1 Jerome Jalla (not Halla, as earlier reported), 31, and his wife, SPO1 Julie Jalla, 33, remain confined at the Chinese General Hospital due to gunshot wounds they suffered from the encounter, according to SPO1 June Guinayan of the MPD-Blumentritt station. They are being guarded by six police officers.

Jerome is assigned at the NPD’s Public Safety Battalion unit while Julie works in the NPD’s District Police Community Relations office.

The couple was in their car on their way to the NPD when they were caught in a traffic jam at the corner of Pampanga and M. Natividad streets in Sta. Cruz at around 1:45 p.m. They said they saw three men on a motorcycle blocking the way of another motorcyclist. Two of the men, armed with a handgun and an Uzi machine pistol, alighted and approached the motorcyclist.

Jerome alighted from their car and confronted the men, introducing himself as a policeman. The armed men shot at him and the car. Jerome was hit in the right forearm, Guinayan said.

Jerome shot at his attackers, but decided to return to his car when he saw Julie was hit in the left arm and shoulder. He drove them to the hospital while the gunmen, with at least three others on two other motorcycles, fled in different directions. Nothing is known of the would-be victim, the MPD said.

Investigators said there were seven bullet holes in the windshield and one in the hood of the couple’s car.

Guinayan said the Jallas could have encountered the Uzi rob ban, one of the most notorious in the MPD’s list of criminal groups. He said MPD investigators brought photos of the gang’s alleged members to the couple so they could identify their attackers.

According to NPD sources, the Uzi robbery gang maintains a lair somewhere in Tondo. They said that one of the gunmen was able to grab Jerome’s necklace, worth around P100,000, before escaping.