Two members of a suspected private armed group were killed in an encounter with police in Antipolo City last Sunday.

According to the Antipolo City Police Station, they received at 12:50 pm a call from the security guard of Hard Rock Aggregates, a mining site, informing them of disturbance.

Police Master Sergeant Remegio Alea and a barangay officer went to Barangay Cupang to verify the report.

Upon arrival, one of the security guards approached them, saying the suspects were armed. Alea asked the guard to accompany him when another guard told him not to proceed.

Later on, successive gunshots rang towards Alea, forcing him and the barangay to backtrack. They asked for reinforcements.

Around 2pm, a firefight ensued when around 20 armed persons fired at the responding officers.

The encounter resulted in the death of two members of the suspected private armed group. The two casualties were not immediately identified.

During the dragnet, Police Senior Master Sergeant Ronald Antonio Abbariao and Police Staff Sergeant Henry Balmaceda were accosted after they tried to escape.

Both were members of the Philippine National Police- Police Security and Protection Group (PNP-PSPG).

In a radio interview, Antipolo City police chief Lt. Col. Jose Arandia, operatives chased the group from the boundary of Antipolo to San Mateo.

Arandia said around 50 suspects were being pursued but only 19 were arrested, including the two cops, since it is the mountainous part of the city.

Police said it appears the suspects were involved with a squatting syndicate, which tried to occupy a parcel of land of Hard Rock Aggregates.

Arandia said they are investigating the identity and background of the armed group. Ella Dionisio/DMS