BOCAUE, BULACAN — A high-stakes police pursuit culminated in a chaotic highway shootout at the Bocaue toll plaza of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) on Friday evening, June 16, 2026 leaving three suspected members of a robbery group wounded and in custody.

The violent confrontation forced a brief, ten-minute closure of the toll plaza as Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams engaged the armed suspects directly at the toll barriers.

According to Police Regional Office 3 (PRO-3) Regional Director Gen. Jess Mendez, the suspects were being actively tracked for their involvement in a recent string of minimart robberies across Central Luzon, including heists in Magalang, Pampanga, and Victoria, Tarlac earlier in the week.

Intelligence operatives backtracked the suspects' movements through Rosales, Pangasinan, before monitoring them as they moved back down into Tarlac and Bulacan. Anticipating their route, PRO-3 deployed tactical units and SWAT personnel to secure major expressway exits and toll plazas. The operation reached a boiling point at around 5:55 p.m. when the suspects’ vehicle approached the Bocaue toll plaza barrier.

As SWAT personnel moved in to block and approach the vehicle, the suspects suddenly opened fire on the officers. Police teams immediately returned fire, triggering a brief but intense gunbattle in front of terrified commuters.

Following the exchange of gunfire, the three wounded suspects attempted to flee on foot but were quickly surrounded and apprehended by law enforcement. Because they sustained various gunshot wounds during the encounter, the suspects were immediately treated on-site by the NLEX standby medical team before being transported under heavy guard to a nearby hospital.

"They fired shots at our personnel. Our police officers were shot at while they were only aiming to approach and block them," Gen. Mendez told reporters, confirming that police acted in self-defense. Despite the wild shootout occurring at a major transport bottleneck, provincial authorities confirmed that no civilians or motorists were hit by stray bullets.

NLEX management temporarily closed all lanes at the Bocaue toll plaza for exactly ten minutes to ensure public safety while the scene was secured. The plaza was reopened to traffic by 6:05 p.m. once authorities deemed the area completely safe for commuters.

Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) and PRO-3 investigators remain on-site recovering ballistics evidence and clearing the vehicle. Criminal charges, including armed robbery and direct assault upon agents of persons in authority, are currently being compiled against the three hospitalized suspects.