MANILA, Philippines — Police clashed with suspected remnants of the country’s top carnapping syndicate in an encounter in Meycauayan City, Bulacan, early Thursday, resulting in the death of four suspected car thieves in a brief gunfight.

Chief Supt. Leonardo Espina, director of the Highway Patrol Group (HPG), said authorities suspect that one of those who escaped was Rolando Talban, the designated triggerman of the Dominguez carnapping group, and believed to be the one who shot dead car dealers Venson Evangelista and Emerson Lozano last year.

Espina said the clash erupted when members of the HPG’s elite anti-carnapping unit Task Force Limbas responded to a tip on a group of men removing the license plate of a gray Isuzu D-Max and replacing it with another.

“They fired at our operatives when the suspects saw the lawmen approaching, it was then that a brief gunfight started.” said Espina.

Two of the suspects on board the pick-up vehicle died on the spot, while the two others died in a nearby hospital.

“One of the suspects in the D-Max escaped, together with a motorcycle-riding suspect,” said Espina, noting that the incident occurred at the Muralla Park in Meycauayan City.

Espina expressed belief that the one who escaped was Talban, who has long been wanted and is the subject of a manhunt for a string of carnapping and murder charges.

Seized at the encounter site were the vehicle NOA-153, an Ingram machine pistol with live bullets, three .45 caliber pistols with bullets, spent shells, a license plate NHI-625 (inside the D-Max), automated teller machine (ATM) card of a certain Pablo Baguiwet (in the compartment), copy of release order of Napoleon Salamat dated November 4, 2010, issued by Judge Guillermo Agloro of the Malolos Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 83, and license of a certain Eduardo Lopez that matched the description of Rolando Talban.

“One of the slain suspects matched the description of Napoleon Salamat, a dreaded core member of the Dominguez brothers’ carnapping group responsible for the killing of Venson Evangelista and Emerson Lozano,” said Espina.

A verification revealed that the license plate (NOA-153) attached that time to the D-Max is for a stolen Honda Civic registered to HB Fuller Philippines, Inc., and was stolen in Cabuyao, Laguna. (With a report from Freddie C. Velez)