MANILA, Philippines -- A man suspected of being the leader of a car theft gang died when he reportedly engaged a group of plainclothes policemen in a shootout in Quezon City Monday night.

Randy Madrigal, 32, died after being hit several times in the body but seven of his alleged cohorts managed to escape.

Senior Superintendent Magtanggol Gatdula, Quezon City Police District (QCPD) chief, said the slain suspect was the alleged leader of the Madrigal-Enduro Carnapping Group which operates in Metro Manila and Bulacan.

Gatdula said a “concerned citizen” called up the QCPD Tactical Operations Center and informed them of two suspicious vehicles going around Barangay (village) Commonwealth.

He said they immediately dispatched a team of District Police Intelligence Operations Unit (DPIOU) operatives to check on the report.

At around 10:45 p.m., the DPIOU agents flagged down a maroon Nissan Sentra (UFV 565) and a Toyota Innova without a license plate along Mango Street.

Instead of slowing down, the occupants of the vehicles allegedly open fired at the policemen, triggering a brief running gunbattle.

Madrigal, who was driving the Nissan sedan, supposedly tried to speed away as his henchmen, who were on board the Toyota van, tried to cover him.

Gatdula said he has ordered a pursuit operation against Madrigal’s cohorts.