LTO chief Vigor Mendoza II
MANILA, Philippines — Land Transportation Office (LTO) chief Vigor Mendoza II has ordered an investigation into a Korean national who deliberately ran over a motorcycle of a security guard and later hit a gasoline pump that ignited a fire in a gasoline station in Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga.
“We assure the public that we will look into this and impose sanctions. This is not acceptable and the foreigner should be penalized,” he said in a statement on Sunday.
“If he has a Philippine driver’s license, then I will personally make sure that he will be punished according to our rules and regulations,” he added.
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As part of due process, Mendoza directed the LTO Regional Office Central Luzon to issue a show-cause order against the Korean driver and the registered owner of the sport utility vehicle (SUV).
According to the Clark Development Corp. (CDC), local security guards were about to approach the 41-year-old Korean male when he was found naked inside his SUV parked near a hotel along C.M. Recto Highway around 5 a.m. on Oct. 31.
The Korean then sped off, which resulted in a chase that was caught in a now-viral video where his SUV hit a motorcycle being driven by a security guard that was trying to stop him. Fortunately, the security guard was not hurt.
The SUV was later cornered in a nearby gasoline station, where he deliberately hit a gasoline pump, which resulted in a fire that lasted for 15 minutes. The fire was isolated to one gas pump and did not spread to the adjoining facilities in Shell.
The Korean man was taken to a medical facility for treatment of second-degree burns and put under hospital arrest.
According to the CDC, the foreigner was charged with attempted homicide, grave scandal, malicious mischief, resistance, and disobedience, as well as reckless imprudence resulting in damage to property.
The damage at the gasoline station is estimated to be at P50 million.