CABANATUAN CITY – Two carnapping suspects, including a 16-year-old, were killed in a firefight with police operatives in the urban village of Aduas Centro here before dawn here Saturday, an incident that underscored the use of minors in criminal activities.
One of the suspects was identified as Julius Lombao, 32, a tricycle driver from Purok 6, Barangay San Josef Sur while the minor was a resident of Kapt. Paulino St., Aduas Sur, both of this city.
The victims, on the other hand, were Jefferson Esguerra and his companions Charlene Espiritu and Kimberly Torres, all of Barangay Villa Ofelia here.
Supt. Eli Depra, city police chief, said that the suspects opened fire on mobile patrol and intelligence operatives who reportedly responded to a flash alarm regarding the carnapping of a single Honda Mio at about 2:35 a.m. along Maharlika Highway, Barangay Valdefuente here.
“We immediately activated our dragnet operation upon receipt of the flash alarm re carjacking incident wherein a a motorcycle was forcibly taken from the victims,” Depra said.
Investigation showed the victims were on their way home when the suspects blocked their way and at gunpoint took the motorcycle with license plate 4694-IT.
The suspects fled but when intercepted in Aduas Centro, opened fire at the responding policemen prompting the latter to return fire thus fatally hitting both suspects in the different parts of their bodies.
The suspects died on the spot.
No personal identification was found from the cadavers thus their identities were established later in the day through a follow up investigation, police reported.
Scene of the crime operatives recovered from the encounter scene two cal. 38 revolvers with empty shells and live bullets.
Recently, two minors were turned over by the Nueva Ecija police’s provincial public safety company after being caught transporting a motorcycle that was stolen in Cantarilla.
The minors said they were asked by their neighbors who supposedly stole it at the nearby municipality of Gen. Natividad.
The minors said they were tailing the suspects but suddenly disappeared when they were flagged down in a police anti-criminality checkpoint in Barangay Valdefuente.