At Least Two Dead as Philippine Police and Philippine Drug Agency Shoot at Each Other

The incident marks the first shootout between the PNP and PDEA, which according to reports, happened during a drugs bust at around 5.45pm in the car park of a McDonald’s belonging to a popular shopping centre.

“During the buy-bust operation, the PNP personnel involved [engaged] without their knowledge [that] the people they were transacting [with] are PDEA agents,” the report said.

The PNP claimed that the PDEA agents were the first to fire, as reported by Rappler. According to the news outlet, PDEA spokesperson Derrick Carreon declined to comment on the allegation, saying that they will leave the facts to be determined by a joint PNP-PDEA probe – which will be led by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group – its unit reserved for high-profile investigations.

The shootout left 3 policemen, two PDEA agents, and one civilian identified as a companion of the PDEA agent injured, according to reports.

In an interview on DZBB, Metro Manila police chief Major General Vicente Danao Jr said two policemen died and one was “badly injured.” He was unsure about the PDEA’s casualty count.