FOUR policemen were killed while three others, including an officer, were critically wounded after a suspect facing criminal cases, resisted and exchanged fire with lawmen serving an arrest warrant on the latter in Kalinga province.
The slain cops, all members of the Kalinga Police Provincial Office, were identified as PO3 Cruzaldo Lawagan, PO2 Juvenal Aguinaldo, PO1 Vincent Tay-od and PO1 Charles Ryan Compas.
The wounded policemen were Sr. Inspector Eduardo Liclic, PO1 Ferdinand Asuncion and PO1 Ferdie Diwag, who were all rushed to the Kalinga Provincial Hospital undergoing treatment.
Reports said the slain policemen were part of a contingent from the Kalinga PPO and Police Public Safety Company, backed by the 3rd Mobile Company along with the Regional Public Safety Battalion that were mobilized to serve an arrest warrant against Willy Sagasag at his safehouse in Sitio Lubnac, Brgy Lubuagan.
The lawmen were about to serve the warrant on Sagasag, a high value target facing murder offenses and other crimes cases.
The suspect, instead of giving himself up, went wild, sparking a firefight with the arresting police team, killing the four lawmen. Sagasag was also killed.
Records showed Sagasag was the leader of a robbery gang and behind the previous ambush incident in Kalinga in 2002 that resulted in the death of three policemen.
The suspect had P600,000 on his head for his immediate arrest. He was arrested in April 1998 but he eventually bolted jail.
Four years later, Sagasag was arrested anew and was detained at the Kalinga police provincial office but he again escaped while he was being transferred to the Tuguegarao City jail.