A POLICEMAN from the PNP Civil Security Group (CSG) was relieved and subsequently subjected to investigation after figuring in a road rage incident in Valenzuela City recently.
The policeman, with the rank of staff sergeant, was sacked from the CGG’s Stakeholders Assistance Center in Fairview, Quezon City, according to CSG spokesperson Lt. Col. Eudisan Gultiano.
He was re-assigned to the Regional Civil Security Unit-National Capital Region, which will lead the administrative investigation for possible misconduct.
Last September 30, the policeman’s Toyota Avanza was hit by an overtaking aluminum van on Mindanao Ave. in Quezon City, police said.
Instead of stopping, the van sped off, prompting the policeman to give chase that ended at the toll plaza of the North Luzon Expressway in Mindanao Ave. Ugong, Valenzuela City.
The policeman, holding a gun, ordered the driver to alight, kicked him in the leg, and hit him in the body. He ordered the driver to lie face down on the ground and stepped on the back of the driver.
He arrested the driver and brought him to the Valenzuela City police station. The two later entered into an amicable settlement, with the driver agreeing to pay for the damage to the policeman’s vehicle.
The policeman was off duty and in civilian clothes when he figured in the incident, which was caught on video and has spread on social media.
“Pending the administrative investigation, he was relieved from his post. He was ordered to surrender his firearm, pending an investigation on this incident,” said Gultiano.
As a general rule, Gultiano said off duty policemen, even in civilian clothes, are not prohibited from arresting people who have committed an offense in their presence.
Gultiano said the investigation is being conducted against the cop to determine “whether he followed the standard operating procedure (SOP)” in effecting the arrest of the driver.
“We are determining whether his conduct in that incident was proper or followed the SOP,” said Gultiano, adding they may file a case of misconduct against the cop.
“If found guilty, it may lead to possible suspension. But again, we’re still conducting an administrative investigation,” said Gultiano
Gultiano assured the public the CSG would not tolerate the wrongdoing of any of its personnel.
Gultiano, citing an initial background investigation, said the policeman has no record of similar incidents in the past. “His record is clean,” he said.
