4 die as cops shoot it out in Tarlac

CAPAS, Tarlac — Four people were shot and killed on Dec. 1 when two police officers fought it out after an altercation on a roadside here.

SPO2 Jason Garcia was in a dump truck bound for Barangay Sta. Lucia here with another passenger, Bernie Hernandez, when they were flagged down by Clint Donald Lugtu, a barangay tanod (village watchman).

Shouting match

Garcia and Lugtu ended up in a shouting match. They were joined by Lugtu’s brother, PO3 Vincent Lugtu, who was on a motorcycle driven by Renato Mercado.

Policeman Lugtu shot Garcia, who fired back. Both policemen died on the spot.

Hernandez allegedly took Garcia’s pistol and gunned down tanod Lugtu. A stray bullet struck Mercado, killing him.

Hernandez fled on foot but surrendered to the police on Sunday when his employer interceded.

It was not clear what triggered the gunfight.

Baron Lugtu, the tanod’s son, said his father had been irked earlier by the driver of another truck that was parked along the road. —Maria Adelaida Calayag