LUCENA CITY –– Three suspected criminals were killed in an alleged shootout with policemen in Tiaong town in Quezon province early Thursday.
Lieutenant Colonel Dennis de Leon, Tiaong police chief, reported that a combined special operation unit, anti-kidnapping, and narcotics groups armed with search warrants swooped down on the house of Jose Alcaria and former police officer Rico Gutierrez in Barangay Behia around 2:30 a.m.
The suspects were facing charges for violation of the Comprehensive Law on Firearms and Ammunition.
Police said that while their operatives were approaching the house, they were met with gunfire, which started a 15-minute firefight that left Alcaria, Gutierrez, and an unidentified person dead.
Police recovered two 5.56-millimeter rifles; one semi-auto shotgun; one caliber-.45 revolver; one caliber-22 rifle, one caliber-.380 pistol; one caliber-super .38 revolver; five caliber-.45 pistol, 100 grams of suspected shabu (crystal meth), and drug paraphernalia.