Public warned as cops hunt down two car thieves

The Philippine National Police's Highway Patrol Group (PNP HPG) issued a warning to the public as it launched a manhunt against two members of a car robbery gang who eluded arrest in Quezon City on Thursday. The PNP HPG said the two suspects, believed to be armed and dangerous, belong to the notorious Dominguez Group. They are believed to have sought medical treatment for the gunshot wounds they suffered during Thursday's encounter. "Two other suspects, armed with assault rifles, carjacked another vehicle at gunpoint in their escape. Police recovered two cal.45 pistols from the crime scene," the HPG said in an article posted on the PNP website on Friday. HPG Director Chief Superintendent Leonardo Espina said follow-up operations are being conducted in several locations in Metro Manila where the gang members, including their leader Raymond Dominguez, are believed hiding. On Thursday, PNP HPG operatives shot dead a member of the gang after an encounter in Quezon City. The suspects at the time were aboard a stolen Mitsubishi Montero Sport SUV (with plate number NIE 590) along Road 3 in Project 6, Quezon City. However, the PNP HPG said the license plate NIE-590 was found to be assigned to a Ford Wildtrak sports truck stolen last October 17 in Parc Royale, Quezon City. On the other hand, the Mitsubishi Montero Sport SUV was later identified as stolen on October 20 in San Juan City. The PNP HPG has yet to identify the slain suspect. Another suspect, Eduardo Fernandez, was wounded and brought to a hospital for treatment. –VVP, GMANews.TV