Female Grab driver nabbed for allegedly assaulting cop in Taguig
MANILA, Philippines — Grab driver Mary Florence Norial was arrested on Tuesday, Oct. 6 in Taguig City for allegedly assaulting a police officer, whom she said had hit her first with his car’s door.
A report from the Southern Police District (SPD) said Norial, 26, was detained for alarm and scandal, direct assault, and disobedience of a person in authority.
According to the report, Police Captain Ronald Saquilayan was inside his car at the driveway of a coffee shop in Barangay Ususan Taguig City at 7:20 p.m. on Tuesday as he waited for his daughter when Norial alighted from her vehicle and started shouting at him.
SPD said Saquilayan is the chief investigator of Pateros police.
Norial then continuously knocked on Saquilayan’s car window which prompted the lawman to ask assistance from the coffeeshop’s security guard.
Police said Saquilayan then returned to his vehicle when Norial allegedly pushed Saquilayan’s car door and hit the police officer on the head.
Saquilayan immediately apprehended Norial, whom police said was “unruly and resisted” arrest.
After her arrest, Norial took to social media and aired her version of the incident.
Norial said she was fetching her passenger at the coffee shop but she could not leave because Saquilayan’s vehicle was blocking her way.
She said the security guard as well as the manager of the coffee shop appealed to the policeman to move his vehicle away from the driveway.
“Naka 20mins n ata kami naghihintay ng pasahero, (We waited for 20 minutes.),” she wrote on her caption at a Facebook video which was livestreamed on Tuesday night.
During the confrontation, Norial said she was reportedly hit by the policeman with his car’s door.
“Hanggang sa itinulak ako ng sundalo gamit yung car door nya at nasubsob ako sa bushes (He pushed me using a car door and I fell down on the bushes.),” she said.
Norial said she then slapped Saquilayan who tried to pin her down.
“Sinampal ko sya s mukha pabalik gawa ng self defense ng bigla nyang binaligtad na sinaktan ko daw sya kaya ginapos nya ako gamit kamay nya at isunubsob sa glass window,” she said.
(I slapped him on the face for self-defense but he turned the tables on me so he apprehended me using his hands.)
Norial said she acted in self-defense.
“Self defense yun at hndi naman drive thru yung pinagparkan nya at ilang beses na kaming nakiusap pero wala pa dn,” she said.
(That’s self-defense and the parking space is not drive-thru and we have talked to him already but there is still no development.)
In her Facebook live, Norial showed her confrontation with Saquilayan, who threatened to press charges against her.
“Okay, Boss please get out of the way so that I can go and I can do my job,” Norial told the policeman inside the coffee shop.
“No… I will sue you,” Saquilayan responded.
Norial’s partner, Mirza Miguel Shahzad told INQUIRER.net in a text message that Norial is still detained.
Shahzad said they are awaiting the court’s decision on Norial’s case.
“We are waiting for the fiscal’s resolution that is supposed to be released today since the inquest was done around 11 am yesterday,” Shahzad said in another Facebook post on Thursday.
