Montero owner linked to harassment of traffic aides identified

Facial composite of the SUV driver and passenger. QCPD photos

The Quezon City police have identified the owner of the sport utility vehicle whose driver and passenger pointed guns at and harassed traffic enforcers in Barangay East Kamias on Wednesday morning.

In an interview yesterday, Quezon City Police District (QCPD) director Chief Supt. Joel Pagdilao declined to identify the owner of the black Mitsubishi Montero (UJQ 889) to avoid jeopardizing the ongoing investigation.

A check with the Land Transportation Office, however, showed no driver’s license under the same name.

He called on the two men whose actions were captured on a closed circuit television (CCTV) camera to come forward and cooperate with investigators.

The two were accused of harassing and pointing guns at barangay traffic enforcers Raul Mercado, 35, and Simplicio Retirado, 60, on K-6 Street corner Kasing-Kasing Street on Wednesday morning.

The traffic enforcers had flagged down the SUV for doing a counterflow on K-6 Street. But instead of cooperating, the man behind the wheel refused to present his driver’s license while his passenger identified himself as an Army man, Mercado said in his statement. The passenger then pulled out a gun and the driver followed suit, Retirado added.

The footage taken by the CCTV camera showed the driver swinging open the car door until it hit Retirado. Retirado could be seen with outstretched arms, apparently trying to appease the driver but the latter pushed him aside and aimed a blow at his nape.

As Retirado ran behind the SUV, the driver turned his ire on Mercado, threatening to hit him and then chasing him away with a kick as the latter walked away.

The passenger was also caught on camera alighting from the SUV, holding a gun. The driver pointed his gun at Retirado before he and his passenger boarded the vehicle and drove away.

Retirado, in an interview, said he believed the driver was an employee of the passenger. “It was the passenger who first spoke up when they were apprehended,” he said.

According to Pagdilao, investigators have already been sent to the SUV owner’s registered home address in Quezon City. Sketches of the two men have also been prepared.

They could face charges of grave threats and direct assault against agents of authority, Pagdilao said. If none of them are actually from the Army, they could also face a complaint for usurpation of authority, he added.