Suspected thief shot dead in Manila

MANILA, Philippines–Authorities shot dead a thief in a pre-dawn encounter in Tondo, Manila Saturday, a police official said.

Superintendent Jemar Modequillo, commander of the Manila Police Station 2, said that the suspect was shot after he held up a woman along CM Recto Avenue, in front of the Tutuban Center Mall at past midnight.

SPO2 Edmund Cabal, of the MPD homicide section, revealed that the incident happened at around 12:30 am, Saturday, along CM Recto Avenue, Barangay 48 Zone 2, in Binondo.

Cabal said that before the incident, 21-year-old Christine Garcia, of Batasan Hills, Quezon City, was walking along CM Recto Avenue after buying some fruit in the Binondo area when a man suddenly approached her.

The man allegedly whispered to her, “Give me your bag and do not make any noise,” as he put an arm around her shoulder.

As soon as the robber got her pink bag and purse containing more than P1,200 cash, the suspect hurriedly fled, enabling Garcia to scream for help.

MPD station 2 anti-crime unit personnel, led by Senior Insp. Rolando Lorenzo, who were conducting patrol nearby were alerted to the distress call and immediately responded.

Garcia told the case investigator that she heard gun fire after which a man, who introduced himself as a policeman, approached her and asked if she was a holdup victim.

The policeman then accompanied her and asked her to identify a man who had been killed after allegedly trading shots with them.

Garcia positively identified the slain man as the same person who had robbed her and promptly retrieved her stolen pink bag.

The body was brought to the Cruz funeral parlor for autopsy and safekeeping while MPD homicide section investigators conduct follow-up operations for his identification.

Cabal advised the members of Lorenzo’s anti-crime unit team to submit their firearms for ballistics examination at the Crime Laboratory.

Hours away from New Year, the station commander assured the public that their officers have been deployed to secure public places ahead of the celebrations.

Originally posted at 8:38 am| Saturday, Dec. 31, 2011