Road rage suspect in hiding Cebu City cops in pursuit; P10,000 reward offered
The noose is tightening against the suspect in the road rage incident last October 18 in Barangay Mabolo with the Cebu City police pursuing him and Mayor Tomas Osmeña offering a P10,000-reward for information leading to his arrest.
Supt. Ryan Devaras, acting Mabolo Police Station chief, said they are conducting a hot pursuit operation against Edward Erasmo, who has gone into hiding after he was caught on camera in a fit of rage kicking and destroying the window of a taxicab last Wednesday along Pope John Paul II Avenue in Barangay Kasambagan, Cebu City.
Devaras also said that the taxicab driver, Christopher Lador, reported the incident to the Mabolo Police Station after the attack.
Devaras, who is also the Investigation Detection Management Branch (IDMB) chief, said Lador told him that he was willing to file a complaint of physical injury, malicious mischief, and grave threats against Erasmo.
However, Devaras said Lador had not yet filed the complaint because the witness was sick.
Cebu Daily News called Lador, but he could not be reached for comment.
Mayor Tomas Osmeña, for his part, has offered a P10,000-reward for anyone who could provide information on the whereabouts of Erasmo.
“I want to set the example. We don’t like to see people like that. They are not welcome here in Cebu City,” Osmeña said.
He also said that he had already received some information that the suspect had left for Manila and was a former call center agent.
He also described Erasmo as having a “questionable background,” but he did not elaborate on this.
He also said that the information he gathered would be forwarded to the police.
Devaras, when sought for comment on this, said they would verify and validate the mayor’s information.
Devaras also said that they had already located the grey Toyota Innova that Erasmo drove during the incident.
He said that Erasmo was renting the Innova and the owner was cooperating with them.
He also said that they were exploring the possibility of filing a carnapping complaint against Erasmo since the owner of the vehicle told them that Erasmo did not return the vehicle to him for quite a while.
They later found the vehicle at Erasmo’s house where they only met the wife, who told them that she did not know where her husband was.
Devaras said that the road rage incident happened at 3:55 p.m. during heavy traffic last Wednesday along Pope John Paul II Avenue.
Lador told police that he was traversing the avenue when suddenly a grey Innova overtook his taxicab, stopped in front of the cab and blocked his path.
He said that Erasmo then got off his vehicle, shouted invectives at him and angrily kicked the cab’s window at the driver’s side.
Erasmo then took a brick and broke the window slightly, injuring Ladro.
Erasmo’s woman companion pacified him, and they returned to the Innova and left the area.
The attack, however, was also recorded on camera by the passenger of the taxicab and was uploaded on Facebook.
The video was later seen by Osmeña who then learned the identity of the assailant and offered a reward after knowing that he had gone into hiding.
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