Alleged robber slain in shootout with Cabanatuan cops; 2 others nabbed

CABANATUAN CITY — A man tagged in a series of robbery incidents in the province of Nueva Ecija was killed while his two companions were arrested after a reported shootout with policemen in Barangay Caalibangbangan here on Wednesday evening, authorities said.

Col. Jess Mendez, acting Nueva Ecija police director, identified the suspect as alias “Tolits” and his companions as Christian Soro, 30, and Reymark Hipolito, 27, residents of Barangay Samon in this city.

The suspects were on board two separate motorcycles when flagged down in the said village.

Mendez said Tolits engaged the policemen in a shootout when he was accosted.

A policeman from Sta. Maria town in nearby Bulacan province, who was part of the operation, sustained a gunshot wound to his abdomen during the shootout and was taken to a hospital.

Earlier on Wednesday, police said the suspects’ group robbed two convenience stores in this city and in Santa Rosa town, also in Nueva Ecija.