Pasay cops kill bus robber; 3 cohorts escape

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA — A robbery suspect was shot dead by the police in Pasay City after he and three others held up the passengers of a bus on Thursday.

The slain suspect was not immediately identified but was confirmed by the Metrolink bus driver as the man who held him at gunpoint.

In a statement to the police, driver Christopher Banaag, 48, said a man in a black shirt hailed his NAIA-Malanday bus on Roxas Boulevard and was followed by three more men who were also in black.

The four men took different seats that were far apart, pretending they did not know each other, he noted.

When the bus reached the corner of Gil Puyat Avenue and FB Harrison, the men — armed with a pistol, a grenade, a shotgun and a knife — declared a holdup, Banaag said.

After taking the passengers’ belongings, the robbers got off on Leveriza Street.

At this point, the driver repeatedly honked the horn to call the attention of Pasay City policemen at a nearby outpost and the conductor informed one of the officers, PO1 Rey Bautista, about the robbery.

In the ensuing chase, one of the suspects was shot dead, according to Southern Police District spokesperson, Supt. Jenny Tecson. The rest were able to escape.

A passenger interviewed by the Philippine Daily Inquirer lost P25,000 in cash while a lawyer lost his bag containing his laptop and cell phone.  SFM