2 ‘BASAG-KOTSE’ GANG MEMBERS KILLED

Two suspected members of a “basag-kotse” (car break-in) gang were killed in a shootout with police in Barangay Old Balara in Quezon City around 12 a.m. yesterday, a day after six other suspects were arrested in Marikina City. The two fatalities have yet to be identified, said Quezon City Police District (QCPD) director Chief Superintendent Joselito Esquivel. He said the two men engaged policemen in a firefight, after they were caught robbing a vehicle. Remelito Combis, a ride-sharing service driver, said he was inside his car parked in front of a convenience store in Capitol Hills, Barangay Old Balara at midnight when a man smashed the rear left window of his car with a hammer. The man’s companion was waiting on board a motorcycle. Combis said the assailant probably did not see him because his car’s windows are tinted. The incident resulted in a heated confrontation and the alleged shootout.