One dies in chase of carnapped taxi

One of the three alleged carnappers who robbed a taxi driver and took away his cab died in an encounter with police officers who chased them in Quezon City late Tuesday night.

Superintendent Rossel Cejas, chief of the Quezon City Police Police DistrictNovaliches Police Station said the fatality has yet to be identified. He described him to be in his 40s, wearing white shirt and white shorts, with “Bat” tattooed on his left shoulder and tribal tattoo markings on his left wrist.

A report showed that the victim, Edgardo Montinola Jr., 60, was driving near a mall in Barangay San Bartolome, Novaliches past 11 p.m. when he was flagged down by two of the suspects who posed as passengers.

The two men instructed the taxi driver to fetch their friend first who was waiting along Forest Hills Drive in Barangay Gulod, only a kilometer away from their pickup point.

Upon fetching the third suspect, the group asked the victim to drop them off to another mall in Fairview.

While still traversing along Forest Hills Drive, one of the men declared the heist and at gunpoint, took the belongings of the victim including his earnings.

Not contented with the loot, the group also forcibly pushed the victim outside of his cab and fled the scene.

Montinola immediately reported the incident to nearby Novaliches Police Station (PS-4) who conducted a follow-up operation against the suspects.

During the operation, PS-4 personnel spotted along Damong Maliit in Barangay Nagkaisang Nayon a taxi cab that matched the description of Montinola with body markings VLD888 and bearing plate number UVE-665.

The cops tailed the vehicle, but when the suspects sensed that they were being followed, they sped off and fired at the chasing officers.

Pursuing policemen retaliated and were able to hit and kill one of the suspects who was sitting at the back of the car and firing at them.

Meanwhile, his two other companions were able to jump out of the cab and managed to escape.

A loaded caliber .38 Smith and Wesson revolver and was seized in possession of the suspect, while a sachet of shabu was also found in his left front pocket.

Police were also able to recover in the crime scene the stolen articles including Montinola’s cab, his black wallet containing his identification cards, and his earnings amounting to P2,600 cash.

Cursory examination showed that the suspect died on the spot due to multiple gunshot wounds in his body.

He was brought to the PNP Crime Laboratory for autopsy while further investigation is underway.