MANILA, Philippines – A robbery suspect was shot dead in an encounter with Manila police in Abad Santos Friday night.

Police said the suspect, identified only as an alias “Lito”, attempted to rob a jeepney with another suspect Enrique Dalida.

One of the jeepney’s passengers, “Tina” (not her real name), said the two suspects boarded the jeepney along Hermosa St. and declared a robbery.

"Sabi niya, ‘Ibigay mo ‘yan kung hindi sasaksakin kita,” she said.

However, police officers in the area immediately responded to the scene and foiled the robbery attempt.

Superintendent Roderick Mariano of the Manila Police District said policemen shot “Lito” because the suspect tried to reach for his firearm.

“Immediately pumunta agad ‘yung pulis natin at nakuha nga agad ‘yung isang may hawak na kutsilyo at ‘yung isa naman ay tumakbo sa harapan ng jeep at nung ma-corner ay nagtangakang bumunot ng baril kaya't pinaputukan na ng pulis natin," he said.

Dalida, meanwhile, is in police custody. He said poverty forced him to commit the crime. -- Report from Bettina Magsaysay, ABS-CBN News