CAMP OLIVAS, Pampanga — A robbery incident in Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija on Tuesday afternoon (Feb.17) prompted a swift police response and a subsequent dragnet operation that resulted in the arrest of one suspect and the fatal wounding of another following an armed encounter with pursuing police personnel.
Initial reports disclosed that at around 2:40 p.m. personnel of the Gabaldon Municipal Police Station received information from a concerned citizen regarding a robbery hold-up incident involving two unidentified armed men in Purok Ilang-Ilang, Barangay Tagumpay, Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija.
The victim, a female professional and resident of Nueva Ecija, was reportedly approached by the suspects who declared a hold-up before fleeing the scene.
Responding police officers immediately conducted a hot pursuit operation and coordinated with nearby police stations to intercept the fleeing suspects.
As part of the intensified police response, personnel of the Bongabon Municipal Police Station conducted a dragnet operation in Barangay Bantug, Bongabon, Nueva Ecija at around 3:30 p.m. after receiving information linking two motorcycle-riding individuals to the earlier robbery incident.
During the operation, responding officers attempted to flag down two motorcycles being driven by unidentified male individuals. However, the suspects ignored police instructions and attempted to flee, prompting a pursuit operation. The suspects later crashed along the road pavement, after which one of them reportedly opened fire at the pursuing police officer, resulting in an armed encounter.
During the exchange of gunfire, one police officer sustained gunshot wounds and was immediately brought to a medical facility for treatment before being transferred to a higher-level hospital for further medical attention.
One of the suspects sustained gunshot wounds during the encounter and was later declared dead on arrival at the hospital, while the other suspect was successfully arrested by responding personnel.
Police authorities confirmed that follow-up operations and investigation are ongoing to determine the identities of the suspects and to establish the full circumstances surrounding the robbery incident.
PRO3 Director P/ Brig. Gen. Ponce Rogelio I. Peñones Jr commended the responding personnel for their swift and coordinated action, emphasizing that immediate police response remains critical in preventing further harm to the public. (UnliNews Online)
