MANILA – Ryan Dominguez, the youngest brother of suspected car thieves Raymond and Roger Dominguez has taken the helm in the car theft syndicate, according to the Philippine National Police (PNP).
Reports have quoted Quezon City Police District anti-carnap unit Senior Supt. Ferdinand Villanueva as saying the youngest Dominguez is now controlling the group under the direction of his jailed brothers.
Villanueva, according to the reports, said the latest information came after the arrest of three suspected members of the group in the gang’s safehouse in the province of Bulacan.
In that operation, the authorities were able to arrest Antonio Garcia, Romnick Estrella and Arnel Torres, all residents of Calumpit town.
According to Villanueva, suspect Torres told investigators that the car robbery group is now headed by Ryan, under the direction of his jailed brothers Raymond and Roger.
Torres, Villanueva added, also named Rolando Talban, the alleged gunman of the group, as Ryan’s assistant.
Authorities were able to recover stolen vehicles and hundreds of dismantled parts during the operation.
Police said charges had been filed against the suspects, including Ryan Dominguez and Talban.
The Dominguez brothers Roger and Raymond were the principal suspects in the kidnapping and murder of car dealer Venson Evangelista. Evangelista was burned after being shot by his killers. Both are detained and charged before a Quezon City court.
The brothers are also the suspects behind the death of another car dealer, Emerson Lozano, and his driver Ernani Sensil. Lozano is the son of former Marcos lawyer Oliver Lozano.
Meanwhile, Talban has been identified as the gunman who shot and killed Maria Teresita Teano, daughter a former official of the Department of Interior and Local Government, in Quezon City in June.
Early this year, the PNP has released an advisory against carjacking and carnapping incidents.
According to PNP, carjacking involves the forcible takeover/theft of a vehicle while someone is aboard, usually in transit. Carnapping, on the other hand, is when the vehicle is taken while it is stationary and there is no one aboard it.
A favored modus operandi of carjackers is to pretend to be persons in authority (e.g. police, military, NBI, intelligence services) and accost unwary motorists before divesting them of their vehicle, cash and other valuables.
Carjackers using this method often ride in new model vehicles (more often than not without plate numbers or using unauthorized commemorative plates) complete with sirens/flashers, firearms and perhaps even official looking uniforms/identification and similar paraphernalia.
Another modus operandi is the pretext of bumping into your vehicle and perpetrating the crime as you alight and check the damage. Other carjackers use multiple vehicles, sandwich you between them and force you off the road.
Carjackers typically target motorists traveling alone late at night (e.g. 11pm up to around 3 am) along roads that are either deserted or have little vehicular/pedestrian traffic.
Fast, new model cars are typically targeted since carjackers either sell them on the black market or use them as get-away vehicles to perpetrate other crimes such as bank robberies.
There are several identified areas of concern in Metro Manila where carjacking incidents often happen. Though most incidents have been noted to occur in Quezon City, the crime can happen anywhere.
1. Quezon Avenue underpass, which crosses EDSA
2. Tomas Morato and West Triangle area in Quezon City
3. Teachers Village, Quezon City
4. Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City
5. Some stretches of EDSA in Quezon City
6. Katipunan Flyover coming from Libis, Quezon City
