3 suspected carnappers die in Benguet chase with PNP-HPG
Three suspected members of a carnapping, robbery, and gun-for-hire syndicate were shot dead by personnel of the Philippine National Police’s Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) in La Trinidad, Benguet shortly after Friday midnight, Dec. 10.
Police Brig. Gen. Rommel Marbil, PNP-HPG director, said the unidentified suspects were the subject of a surveillance operation and about to be arrested when they allegedly engaged the lawmen in a shootout along Lamut-Shilan Road in Brgy. Shilan around 12:35 a.m.
The suspects, according to police, were travelling onboard a red Mitsubishi Lancer Sedan with plate number WIN-580 along Baguio-Bontoc Road when they decided to park in front of a gasoline station in Brgy. Tomay.
Little did they know that joint intelligence teams from the HPG, Police Regional Office Cordillera (PRO-COR), and Central Luzon Police Regional Office (PRO-3), already spotted them. It turns out that the vehicle the suspects used was carnapped.
“The joint police operation of HPG and PRO-COR stemmed from the intelligence packet provided by Special Operations Division of HPG (LIMBAS) about a suspected robbery hold-up / carnapping / gun-for-hire criminal group based in Pampanga that were monitored to be using Red Mitsubishi Lancer that usually changed plate numbers during their previous surveillance operation which leads to the province of Benguet,” Marbil said.
Based on an initial verification from the Land Transportation Office, the vehicle was registered to a stolen Mitsubishi Advancer.
“This prompted the to call a mobile team to accost the subject Mitsubishi Lancer to check its occupants... However, when the mobile team of La Trinidad Police Station arrived and its mobile crew walked towards the Mitsubishi Lancer, the suspects opened fire and escaped Lamut-Shilan Road,” Marbil narrated.
A hot pursuit followed between the suspects and the lawmen. The pursuing troops also informed standby units of HPG about the escape route of the suspects so the cops prepared a road block to intercept them.
Eventually, the suspects were cornered after their vehicle crashed along Lamut-Shilan Road in Brgy. Shilan. But the defiant suspects refused to surrender and opened fire on the lawmen, prompting another shootout.
As a consequence of the firefight, two suspects sustained fatal gunshot wounds which resulted to their immediate death while another cohort was brought to a hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.