Mom, son nabbed in foiled SUV theft; manhunt on for ring leader

MANILA, Philippines—A family that breaks the law together might just get caught together.

A mother-and-son tandem and a cohort suspected of being members of the so-called Mac Lester Carjack Group were nabbed by police operatives on Friday, shortly after the mastermind and two other gang members carjacked a sports utility vehicle registered to the president of the Social Security System.

Police identified the three suspects as Jasmin Liscano-Reyes, 33, her teenage son, and Arlene Datul-Juaniza, 42.

Jasmin’s spouse, alleged ring leader Mark Lester “Mac” Reyes, 34, managed to flee with the black Toyota Fortuner (plate no. NOG-594) forcibly taken from driver Almario Asuncion, but the vehicle was retrieved past midnight Saturday at a public market in Calumpit, Bulacan after a pursuit with clues gained from the three detained suspects.

The elder Reyes is now the subject of a manhunt while his wife, son and Juaniza are detained at Camp Karingal for car theft and illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.

Two others, Christopher “Bok” Ducot of Calumpit, Bulacan, and a certain “Alex,” have been identified as accomplices.

“We arrested the mother and son, but the father who drove away the stolen vehicle managed to elude us,” said Quezon City Police District (QCPD) Chief Superintendent George Regis.

The carjack happened when Asuncion left the engine running while buying snacks from a nearby store at the corner of Magalang and Malakas streets in Barangay (village) Piñahan, Quezon City.

The elder Reyes took the SUV but fled in haste, leaving behind Mark Joseph, after village watchmen Nestor Manipis and Ricardo Ayad responded to the commotion, police said.

Mobile operatives interrogated the young Reyes, who was carrying a black bag and appeared to have been nervously trying to call someone on his cell phone.

His mother soon arrived and alighted from a Nissan X-Trail not far from the scene of the crime and tried to prevent her son’s arrest. Juaniza also tried to get the bag from the teenager, prompting the operatives to inspect the bag that later yielded a .45 cal. Springfield semi-automatic pistol and a spare magazine.

The Nissan X-Trail, which was purportedly meant as the back-up vehicle for the crime, was able to get away with Alex at the wheel.

District Anti-Carnapping Unit (DACU) head Superintendent Ferdinand Villanueva said that the carjack gang has chalked up four cases since July prior to the attempt to steal the Fortuner.

He added that the mastermind Reyes used to be a driver of Edwin Madrigal of the “Madrigal Carjack Gang” and was soon linked to other car theft cases initiated by Joel Salvatierra of the notorious “Bonifacio Carnap Group.”

“This is another coup for the QCPD- DACU after their recent apprehension of the 21-year-old leader of another carnapping gang,” Regis said. “Carnappers should stay out of QC because we will always get them,” he warned.