COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Pursuing policemen shot dead a motorcycle thief who had reportedly stolen 31 units since 2021 during a brief encounter in Pagadian City before dawn Sunday.
In an initial statement released after the incident, the Pagadian City Police Office said the suspect John Rick Latayada Ondoy, 22, died on the spot from bullet wounds in the head and upper torso.
He was first reported by villagers to have had stolen a motorcycle parked near a house along Muricay Road in Barangay Kawit in Pagadian City and was cornered by pursuing policemen.
The police said Ondoy resisted arrest, provoking a gunfight that resulted in his death.
Barangay officials and people close to Ondoy had confirmed that he had stolen a number of motorcycles and sold them to contacts outside of Pagadian City.
Ondoy was long under surveillance by intelligence units of the Pagadian CPO for having pulled off a series of motorcycle heists in the past 24 months.