‘Newbie’ tagged in carjacking of Manila dad’s SUV

MANILA, Philippines - The man who commandeered a sport utility vehicle of a Manila councilor in Quezon City over the weekend has not figured on the police radar in the past and could be from a new carjacking group, an official said yesterday.

Investigators have obtained surveillance footage of the man days before the carjacking on Saturday, indicating that the man had been surveying the area and just seized an opportunity when he saw Councilor Jong Isip’s Mitsubishi Montero Sport, said Senior Inspector Rolando Tolentino Jr., head of the Quezon City Police District’s anti-car theft unit.

“The suspect does not look like anyone of those on our rogues’ gallery and that of the Highway Patrol Group,” Tolentino told The STAR in an interview.

He said they have shown driver Rolando Subion and helper Reyna Protacio the photos of past carjacking suspects but neither picked out any likely perpetrator.

According to Tolentino, they managed to secure surveillance footage near a bakeshop in Barangay Laging Handa on July 6, three days before Saturday’s carjacking, and it showed the carjacker loitering in the area.

On Saturday morning, Subion and Protacio went to the store to buy bread. Subion got off the SUV as Protacio remained onboard. The man then boarded the SUV, pushed the helper out of it and sped off.

Tolentino said it was possible the suspect was not even armed, as he did not brandish a gun at the time of the carjacking.