2 holdup men killed in shootout

TWO MEN who had allegedly held up a bicycle rider in Tondo, Manila, Friday were killed when they engaged responding policemen in a shootout.

Senior Police Officer 2 Marcelino Bolante of the Manila Police District Traffic Enforcement Group (MPD-TEG) said the rider, Jonathan Onasis, of Las Piñas City, sought police help at around 12:30 p.m. after he was allegedly held up by the two armed men.

He said the suspects took his cell phone and wallet.

A police team gave chase and caught up with the two at Delpan bridge. Instead of surrendering, however, one of the suspects fired at the policemen, prompting the lawmen to fire back.

The suspects, who remained unidentified, were hit and taken to the Ospital ng Maynila where they died. Jeannette I. Andrade

Hit-and-run victim

A 69-YEAR-OLD man was killed when a truck ran him over in a bloody hit-and-run case early Friday in North Caloocan.

The victim was identified by the North Caloocan Traffic Enforcement Unit as Benjamin Patiam, a resident of Mangga Street, Amparo Subdivision, in North Caloocan City.

SPO 2 Fernan Romero said in an interview that at around 5:30 a.m. an Isuzu dump truck with plate number XNR-231 and carrying black sand had swerved to the right side of Quirino Highway, ran over Patiam and dragged him until the vehicle hit the wall of the La Mesa Dam compound.

Patiam was squashed beneath the wheels of the truck dislodging his legs from his torso as well as his feet from his legs. The truck driver fled the scene after the incident.

According to witnesses, the old man usually walks by the road side of Quirino Highway every morning to gather plastic bottles and other materials which he can sell to a junk shop. Romero said the North Caloocan Police Station is now verifying the identity of the truck driver by tracing the owner of the dump truck. Beverly T. Natividad