Cabbie files charges vs gun-toting SUV driver

MANILA, Philippines - Criminal charges were filed yesterday against an executive of a real estate company who was caught on video pointing a gun at a taxi driver following a traffic altercation in Quezon City last week.

Karlvin Ernest Ang, 33, director and corporate secretary of Primex Development Corp., was charged with physical injury, malicious mischief and grave threats before the Quezon City prosecutor’s office, Senior Inspector Virgilio Carodan of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) Station 7 said.

Taxi driver Glen Remetio, 43, of Barangay Manggahan, Pasig City, appeared before Assistant City Prosecutor Flordeliza Ramos Lagasca when he filed the complaint.

Remetio identified Ang as the one who pointed a gun at him at the Santolan-EDSA flyover on July 25.

Viral video

A video of the road rage incident – four minutes and 16 seconds long – was taken by a bus passenger who was stuck in traffic caused by the incident. The video went viral on the Internet.

Police said the incident started along the Cubao underpass where the SUV driver and Remetio tried to outrun each other.

In his complaint, the cabbie said the suspect blocked his path, got out of his SUV and shouted invectives at him.

Remetio added that Ang smashed the window of his cab and punched him. As he tried to step out, the suspect kicked the cab’s door, prompting Remetio to grab a bread knife.

At this juncture, the suspect pulled out a gun and pointed it at the cabbie.

The altercation ended with Remetio stepping away and Ang and his companion returning to the SUV.

The cabbie said he chased Ang and blocked his path near the MRT station along Santolan to get the attention of policemen in the area.

The suspect managed to flee, prompting Remetio to proceed to Annapolis street in San Juan to report the incident to the police.

He said the damage to his cab was estimated at P32,000.

Primex, which holds office in Greenhills, San Juan, had been dragged into the incident after it was traced as the registered owner of the Mercedes Benz driven by Ang, said Superintendent Ramon Pranada, commander of QCPD Station 7.

Police said the company earlier refused to name the driver of the SUV. But police officers managed to secure photos of officials of the company.

“We showed the photos to the cabbie and he positively identified Ang as the one who threatened him with a gun,” Carodan said in an interview.

He said Primex, through its legal counsel, vowed to cooperate with the police.

‘Different person’

A lawyer for the company told police investigators that a “different person” was driving the SUV at the time of the incident.

Carodan said the lawyer surfaced at the QCPD Station 7 yesterday.

“Why only now? We have given them two days and they initially did not give us the name (of the driver). Now that we have filed the case, they’re saying it was a different person,” he said.

PNP: Video not enough proof

For the Philippine National Police (PNP), a video showing a motorist kicking a cab’s door and pointing a gun at a taxi driver is not enough to pin down the suspect.

Chief Superintendent Reuben Theodore Sindac, PNP Public Information Office director, called on the public and the media “not to jump into conclusion.”

“This incident is being investigated by the PNP, particularly the QCPD. Investigators are looking into the whole picture in its totality,” Sindac said.

“We don’t know what went before and what went after. Let me remind you that the taxi driver had in his possession a deadly weapon, which is prohibited by law.”

Sindac, however, clarified that the PNP is not “lawyering” for Ang.

“We just want to get the sides of both parties,” he said.

Sindac urged the suspect to come out and air his side.

“We are asking him to come out so that his side could be heard. He should also file charges if he has reason for his action,” he said.

Reports said that Ang belongs to a wealthy family.

Records from the PNP’s Firearms and Explosives Office showed that he is not a registered gun holder.

“He could be charged with illegal possession of firearm since only registered gun holders are authorized to own and carry guns,” Sindac said.– With Cecille Suerte Felipe