MANILA, Philippines — A Navotas City traffic enforcer was shot Wednesday morning by two men on a motorcycle whom he had flagged down for a traffic violation.
According to city police, enforcer Alvin Garcia flagged down the two men at in Barangay North Bay Boulevard South for not wearing helmets.
He asked them to get off the motorcycle and present driver's licenses and registration documents, which they failed to do.
As Garcia was issuing a violation ticket, the men drew their firearms. One of the men also shot at a witness who sped away from the incident.
Seeing an opportunity to escape, the two men got back on the motorcycle and, as they sped off, one of them shot Garcia in the stomach.
The suspects sped off on a Kawasaki Enduro motorcycle without a license plate.
Garcia brought himself to the Tondo Medical Center where he is undergoing treatment.
In a statement on Wednesday, Navotas City Mayor John Rey Tiangco condemned the incident and lauded Garcia for doing his duty by enforcing traffic rules.
"The city government expresses deep regret to his family for this incident and vows to provide for his medical expenses," Tiangco said.
"We also call on the Navotas City Police to expedite the investigation and bring the perpetrators to justice at the soonest," he added.
The police is conducting follow-up operations to identify and arrest the gunmen.