ILOILO City — The Land Transportation Office Region VI (LTO-6) has slapped a 90-day preventive suspension on the driver’s license of a 29-year-old optometrist following a chaotic predawn hit-and-run that escalated into a police pursuit and shooting in La Paz district.
LTO-6 director Atty. Gaudioso P. Geduspan II issued the suspension order while the agency’s Regional Intelligence and Investigation Unit conducts a full administrative probe into the October 11 incident.
Geduspan emphasized that the suspension serves as a necessary precautionary measure to protect public safety while legal and administrative proceedings are underway.
Alongside the suspension, LTO-6 served a formal show cause order directing the driver to submit a written explanation within five working days of receipt detailing why administrative or legal sanctions should not be imposed.
Failure to respond within the prescribed window will prompt the agency to resolve the administrative case based on existing evidence.
Wild pursuit in La Paz
Police reports indicated that the incident occurred at approximately 12:45 a.m. along Coastal Road in Barangay Baldoza, La Paz.
the rampage unfolded at around 12:45 a.m. along Coastal Road in Barangay Baldoza, La Paz.
The suspect was driving a Honda Accord toward Baldoza Street intersection when his sedan slammed into a roadside sari-sari store. Continuing down the road, the vehicle allegedly hit a parked tricycle roughly 50 meters away from the first collision site.
Instead of stopping to assess the damage, identify himself, or render assistance, the motorist sped off toward Barangay La Granja.
Responding police units alerted by a 911 emergency call gave chase and cornered the fleeing sedan in neighboring Barangay Caingin.
Officers at the scene reported that the driver refused orders to step out of the vehicle and instead attempted to ram the responding officers. In response to the perceived threat, officers opened fire on the vehicle.
The driver sustained a gunshot wound to the abdomen during the confrontation and was subsequently rushed to a local hospital, where he underwent surgery.
Criminal and administrative raps
Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) director Col. Wilbert Parilla confirmed that law enforcement has formally filed multiple criminal complaints against the suspect, including direct assault, attempted homicide, and reckless imprudence resulting in damage to property.
Concurrently, LTO-6 is evaluating the suspect’s administrative liability under Republic Act No. 4136 (The Land Transportation and Traffic Code), specifically targeting Section 48 (Reckless Driving) and Section 55 (Duty of Driver in Case of Accidents).
LTO-6 stated that its administrative inquiry will proceed alongside the ICPO’s criminal prosecution to determine whether permanent revocation of the driver’s license or additional penalties are warranted./PN
