BY: Jel Santos
Two armed men on board a black van were killed in a shootout with policemen shortly after they robbed a woman in Caloocan City early yesterday morning.
Senior Supt. Chito Bersaluna, Caloocan Police chief, said the two unidentified slain suspects were gunned down after they took away the personal belongings of one Merasol Mollero, 32, of Barangay 178, Caloocan.
Investigation showed that at about 3:30 a.m., Mollero was waiting for a jeepney when she was robbed by four armed men along Camarin Road in Barangay 178, Caloocan.
Mollero immediately reported the incident to patrolling policemen, informing them that robbers who were aboard a black van took her belongings.
In a follow-up operation, police intercepted the black van described by the victim. They tried to flag down the vehicle but it sped off.
During the ensuing chase, the men aboard the van reportedly fired at policemen.
The cops retaliated, triggering a brief gunfight that led to the death of two of the four van occupants.
Police retrieved from the suspects’ black Mitsubishi Adventure with plate number WOZ 817 a .38-caliber revolver, a .45-caliber pistol, four plastic sachets containing shabu, and the bag of the victim with cash, and four mobile phones.
Police are hunting down the slain suspects’ cohorts who managed to flee during the shootout.