Alleged thieves killed after trying to avoid police checkpoint

MANILA, Philippines—Two suspected motorcycle thieves were killed in what police claimed was a shootout after they fired on lawmen who pursued them after they evaded a checkpoint in Quezon City shortly after midnight Wednesday.

The two men, each on a motorcycle with neither of them wearing crash helmets, had been chased by officers from the Quezon City Police District after they “suspiciously” turned back instead of passing through a police checkpoint.

SPO1 Cristituto Zaldarriaga of the QCPD Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit said that instead of surrendering when cornered, the two men drew guns and fired at the policemen, who retaliated and killed them both. It later turned out that one of the two motorcycles that the men used had been reported stolen, Zaldarriaga added.

He said the incident happened around 12:30 a.m. Thursday on Araneta Avenue near Maria Clara Street in Barangay Sto. Domingo.

Zaldarriaga said that before the shooting, officers from the QCPD’s anti-car theft unit ANCAR and the Motorized Anti-Street Crime Operatives unit, had set up a checkpoint at the corner of Quezon and BMA Avenue in Barangay Tatalon.

According to Zaldarriaga, the policemen noticed two motorcycles veering away, apparently to avoid the checkpoint. This prompted the officers to pursue the two riders, who sped away through the side streets of Barangay Tatalon until the chase ended at the corner of Araneta Avenue and Maria Clara Street in Barangay Sto. Domingo.

The two men then allegedly opened fire on their pursuers, who fired back allegedly shot at their pursuers, prompting the policemen to fire back.

Zaldarriaga described the two men as being between 20 and 25 years old. Both had tattoos in the body, one of them sporting a “Sputnik” gang mark.

Recovered from them were a .38-caliber and a .22-caliber revolver. One of the motorycles was a Suzuki that had been reported stolen, while the other was a Honda Wave with no plates.