5 thieves killed in QC shootout

Policemen on patrol foiled a robbery on Tuesday night after they chanced upon several armed persons coming out of a computer shop in Quezon City.

The chance encounter subsequently led to a shootout which left the five thieves— one of whom was a woman—dead.

The police later said that the woman had lobbed two grenades inside the computer store after she and her companions took two laptop computers, a cell phone and the establishment’s earnings for the day of P19,700. Fortunately, the explosives did not go off.

Police Officer 2 Julius Cesar Parahas of the Quezon City Police District’s Fairview station said that at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, a 20-man police team was on patrol at the intersection of Fairlane Street and Commonwealth Avenue in Barangay East Fairview when they saw several armed persons coming out of D’ Best Option Wholesale and Retailer computer shop.

The team from the District Police Intelligence Operations Unit and Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (CIDU) was in the area as part of the QCPD’s efforts to boost police visibility on All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, Parahas added.

When accosted, the still unidentified armed persons opened fire on the lawmen, resulting in a shoot-out. Three of the robbers died on the spot while the rest were declared dead on arrival at nearby hospitals.

Senior Police Officer 1 Joselito Gagaza of the QCPD-CIDU said in a report that the dead male robbers had tattoos and were between the ages of 25 and 30. The woman, on the other hand, was around 20 to 25 years old. Seized from them were the stolen items, three .38-cal. revolvers and three hand grenades.

Michael Miñoza, 32, the store owner, and Danreb Florano, 32, a salesman, told the police that they were about to close shop when the five appeared and declared a heist.