Police are hunting down two motorcycle thieves who managed to evade arrest after engaging responding cops in a gunfight in Tondo, Manila, Saturday night.
Senior Inspector Dave Ibarra said the cops recovered the motorcycle, a red Yamaha NMAX worth R110,000, stolen from Jhon Merl Gamboo, 21, of Balut, Tondo, but failed to arrest the suspects.
Investigation showed that Gamboo stopped by a sari-sari store in Barangay 131 at 8 p.m., Saturday to buy cigarettes, leaving behind his motorcycle unattended with its engine on.
The suspects reportedly took the victim’s motorcycle and sped off, prompting Gamboo to seek police help.
Members of the Smokey Mountain Police Community Precinct immediately responded to the scene and located the vehicle with the help of a GPS device installed on the motorcycle.
The officers spotted the suspects on board the stolen motorcycle along Batangas St. corner Abad Santos St., Tondo, at around 10:20 p.m.
After sending a text to the GPS device, the victim and the cops managed to turn off the engine of the vehicle through the cut-off engine function of the GPS.
Upon sensing the presence of the police, the suspects abandoned the vehicle and rode another motorcycle, a Mio, driven by their cohort.
While escaping, one of the suspects allegedly opened fire at the responding officers, prompting the cops to retaliate. The suspects, however, managed to flee.
Ibarra said the cops had encountered trouble in tailing the suspects due to the narrow and dark alleys in the area. (Hans Amancio)
