A shootout occurred while the syndicate passed a road in Quezon City in the early morning until they reached Commonwealth Avenue, where they clashed with the police officers.
The article reported that some of the bodies of the syndicate members had been handcuffed behind their backs, and some police officers put two ArmaLites inside the van full of bullet holes.
[6] Capili's headline article didn't gain more attention until May 21 when SPO2 Eduardo de los Reyes came forward to ABS-CBN with an insight to the story that contradicted the official report and affirmed that police had actually executed the bank robbers.
[6][7] The two police officers stated that they arrested eight men the day before the incident at the Kuratong hideout in Las Piñas' Superville Subdivision, after which they housed them in Camp Crame, the national headquarters of the PNP.
[6][8] The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) reported that there were policemen who raided the Superville and Alabang subdivisions, looting the syndicate's robbed money.
They identified that eight were taken from Superville, while the ninth man and the tenth (Gemma's Siplon's husband) from Alabang were handcuffed, blindfolded, and driven into Camp Crame.
[6][11] Lacson also contested the Sandiganbayan's involvement in handling the case in 1999, as no higher official than a senior superintendent (police colonel) was charged as a principal.
Police Inspector Ysmael Yu, now a SAF commando, stated in his sworn statement that he led an assault team at Superville on the night of May 17, 1995, because Canson dropped the orders, and he was briefed by Lacson, Acop, and Zubia.
[8] Chief superintendent Reynaldo Berroya, Lacson's former colleague turned enemy, along with the Reform the PNP Movement, pushed the case revival in 2001.
[8][10][13][14] The special prosecuting team of Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG), led by Jose Manuel Diokno, responded and later asked the High Tribunal to remand the case once more to the trial court in order to present new evidence against Lacson inter alia.
[15][16] On November 12, 2003, Judge Theresa Yadao of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 81 junked the murder case against Lacson and other police officials for lack of probable cause.