MANILA, Dec 6, (AFP) -Up to 17 people including four bystanders were killed in a police shoot-out with armed men toting assault rifles and a grenade launcher in a Manila suburb, police and news reports said.
Metro Manila police chief Leopoldo Bataoil said the shoot-out took place as police were following a gang on their way to rob a warehouse in the suburb of Paranaque late Friday.
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| Police officers inspect the scene of a shoot-out. AFP |
“They appear to have gone berserk after discovering they were surrounded.
They fired left and right at police who were trying to block them,” using
grenade launchers and rifles, Bataoil said.
As well as the 10 robbers and four bystanders, one policeman and two security guards were also killed in the gunfight, Bataoil added. An eight-year-old girl was among the fatalities, he said.
Three other policemen were wounded.
Three of the gunmen were seen fleeing in a car they commandeered from a civilian, Bataoil added.
Bataoil described the suspects as members of a notorious gang believed to be behind a rash of armed bank robberies. The gang is known for wearing bullet-proof vests and uniforms, disguising themselves as members of the police SWAT team.
Two grenade launchers, four assault rifles, two pistols and two hand grenades were recovered from the suspects. |
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