P50K FOR SUSPECT: Violent attack in Diversion Road might not be a case of road rage, police say

By Jennifer P. Rendon

Police investigators are considering the possibility that the violent attack along B. Aquino Ave., or Diversion Road, in Mandurriao, Iloilo City might not be a case of road rage.

Captain Val Cambel, Iloilo City Police Station 5 commander, said they’re looking at other angles behind the incident.

While the victims are all engineers of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Cambel said the incident could not be work-related.

Instead, it could be a case of mistaken identity.

“They all claimed they have no known enemies,” he said.

Cambel said one of the victims offered a possible angle behind the attack, but he did not elaborate.

They also claimed that they did not see the suspect coming as the attack was sudden.

A witness claimed that the assailant came from behind the victim’s vehicle and just repeatedly struck it.

Meanwhile, Mayor Jerry Treñas on Thursday announced that he’s offering P50,000 cash “for anyone who can identify and lead to the arrest of the person who inflicted violence to another person along Diversion Road.”

“This kind of behavior will not be tolerated in the City of Love,” Treñas said.

It was initially assumed that the incident, which happened evening of Jan. 8, was a case of road rage.

The incident, which was caught on camera, saw a scooter rider haphazardly walloping a Mitsubishi Strada pick-up with what appeared to be a piece of wood.

The government-issued vehicle was driven by a male DPWH engineer with another male engineer on the front passenger seat and a pregnant DPWH engineer on the back.

According to one of the victims, the motorcycle rider approached their vehicle when the traffic signal turned red around 6:20 p.m. Monday.

The victim initially claimed that the assailant may have used a baseball bat.

But further investigation indicated it might have been a piece of wood based on the car’s damage. The pick-up truck’s prominent damage was only on the rain visor on the driver’s side.

Other parts of the vehicle only suffered shallow dents.

At the first strike, the pick-up driver said he unlocked the door in a bid to confront their attacker.

The motorcycle rider was even quicker to also open the door and whacked the driver.

The driver sustained a hematoma on his arm.

The rider continued striking the vehicle until another rider cautioned him.

Cambel said that the suspect turned his ire at the other motorcycle rider. But before he could attack him, the traffic light turned green.

At that juncture, Cambel said an ICPS5 team was patrolling near the scene of the incident and motorists informed them of the commotion.

While the rider-suspect was quick to flee, the pick-up truck stayed at the crime scene until police arrived.

The injured driver was taken to the nearby Healthway hospital.