MC rider killed at Ecija checkpoint shootout
CABIAO, Nueva Ecija – A motorcycle rider who refused to stop after being flagged down at a Commission on Elections (Comelec) checkpoint, was killed after engaging lawmen in a gunfight, late Thursday night.
Police identified the slain suspect as Aldrin Manalang, 33, of Purok 2, Bgy. Cruz Roja, Cabanatuan City, through an identification card recovered at the site.
The armed encounter allegedly transpired during a Comelec checkpoint in Bgy. San Fernando Norte at 11:55 p.m.
Town police head Major Marlon Serna said operatives manning the checkpoint flagged down the suspect, who was driving a Kawasaki Bajaj tricycle, but the latter ignored it and even fired at them.
This triggered a gunfight wherein backup operatives retaliated, resulting in the death of the suspect.
Police recovered the suspect’s cal. 38 revolver, several spent shells, and three plastic sachets of shabu.
Nueva Ecija Police director Col. Jess B. Mendez said: “My prevailing instruction to my men is to always be courteous and at the same time, alert and cautious while conducting checkpoint operations; likewise, to protect themselves against criminal elements.”
