Mayor’s cousin wounded after Iloilo hit-and-run chase

ILOILO CITY — A 29-year-old optometrist is under hospital arrest after being wounded following an alleged hit-and-run incident and confrontation with responding police early Sunday, Oct. 11, in La Paz district.

The suspect, identified by police as alias Paolo, is a licensed optometrist and resident of Barangay Buhang in Jaro district.

Police said Paolo was driving a Honda Accord when he allegedly crashed into a flea market stall in Barangay Baldoza, La Paz.

The vehicle also struck a parked tricycle.

Several bystanders claimed the driver identified himself as a cousin of a mayor but did not initially say which mayor.

Police said the driver left the area before officers arrived.

Maj. Sonny Boy Garnace, chief of Iloilo City Police Station 2, said a barangay tanod reported the alleged hit-and-run incident at about 1 a.m.

Police immediately dispatched a mobile patrol unit to intercept the vehicle.

A call to Unified 911 also reported that the vehicle was speeding through Barangay Caingin.

Responding officers later encountered the Honda Accord in Caingin.

Police said three officers got out of their patrol vehicle to check the driver.

The officers claimed Paolo attempted to run them over, prompting them to fire at the vehicle to prevent it from fleeing.

The car eventually stopped near a church in Barangay Caingin, about 200 meters from where police had tried to flag it down.

Police said Paolo then got out of the vehicle, raised his hands and surrendered.

Officers noticed blood coming from his abdomen and immediately brought him to St. Paul’s Hospital for treatment.

A Scene of the Crime Operatives team was called to investigate the incident.

About 20 fired cartridge cases were reportedly recovered from the scene.

The Office of Mayor Raisa Treñas-Chu later confirmed that Paolo is the mayor’s second cousin.

Joy F. Fantilaga-Gorzal, spokesperson for the City Mayor’s Office, confirmed the relationship but said Treñas-Chu was leaving the investigation to the Iloilo City Police Office.

“We expect a fair, thorough, and impartial investigation, regardless of who is involved,” Gorzal said.

Further, Gorzal said, “should the investigation establish grounds for criminal liability, appropriate charges must be filed in accordance with the law.”

Garnace said police requested an “alcohol test” to determine whether Paolo was under the influence of liquor when the incident occurred.

He said the responding officers could not confirm whether Paolo smelled of alcohol when he was arrested.

Meanwhile, the ICPO placed the three responding officers under administrative relief following the shooting.

The officers surrendered their service firearms to the Regional Forensic Unit 6 for examination as part of the investigation.

Garnace said the officers were placed under administrative relief because they no longer had their service firearms.

He said authorities had yet to determine how long the officers would remain under administrative relief.