Cops hunt suspects in Quezon ambush

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MANILA, Philippines—Police authorities are on the lookout for at least three men who killed three people in an ambush in Quezon province early Monday, police said.

Chief Inspector William Angway, Tagkawayan police chief, identified the victims as Jamela Custodio, driver Melvin Marquez, and Jasmine Pablo, who were killed in an ambush staged by still unidentified motorcycle-riding men who shot them on Quirino Highway in Barangay (village) Sta. Monica in Tagkawayan, Quezon around 8 a.m.

The group was said to be on their way to Bicol when they were flagged down by the armed group.

The incident was immediately reported to authorities, prompting PNP’s Highway Patrol Group to conduct a hot pursuit operation against the killers.

A firefight ensued between the police and armed men, which subsequently resulted in the injury of Police Officer 1 Michael Cabato.

Meanwhile, one of the perpetrators, identified as Rafael Moreno, was arrested in a checkpoint in Calauag, Quezon. He yielded a caliber .45 pistol, a magazine, and assorted identification cards.

Authorities, he said, are on the lookout for three or more men, adding that they have yet to identify the motive behind the attack. Jamie Marie Elona