Cop ‘punched’ by ex-PBA import in hospital anew after motorbike accident

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Three weeks after a punch allegedly landed by a former import of a PBA team sent him to a hospital, a Quezon City policeman again ended up in the same medical facility, this time a hit-and-run victim.

Police Officer 2 Anselmo Lazatin, 34, assigned with the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) Kamuning station, was on his motorcycle riding home before noon Tuesday to Caloocan City when he was sent flying by a black car.

As of Wednesday, Lazatin’s condition was under observation at the East Avenue Medical Center (EAMC), the same hospital where he was taken after his March 27 run-in with former PBA cager Jamelle Cornley, suffering fractures on his collarbone and right shoulder.

Camp Karingal Traffic Sector aide Emmy Valderama said that the sideswiping happened at around 11:30 a.m., Tuesday, at the corner of East and V. Luna Avenues in Pinyahan village.

She said Lazatin was on his Yamaha motorcycle, with a “for registration” plate, cruising along East Avenue toward the Quezon City Hall, when the black car with license plates ZNF-552 went against the flow of traffic and sideswiped the motorbike.

Lazatin was thrown off his bike while the car sped away. The policeman was brought by concerned bystanders to the nearby EAMC for treatment.

“The black car could have also been driven by another policeman,” the Camp Karingal Traffic Sector head, Chief Inspector Erlito Renegin, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

He explained that it was a possibility based on the make of the car and the driver’s reckless manner adding that traffic investigators were awaiting the result of a verification with the Land Transportation Office (LTO) on the license plates, as of Wednesday.

Renegin said that investigators have sent out an alarm to all units over the license plates of the car to facilitate the driver’s arrest for reckless imprudence resulting in serious physical injury.

In a phone interview, Lazatin told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that he would be staying at the EAMC to undergo all the necessary tests to check for internal injuries.

“They (Doctors) said that I am still under observation because they are worried I might need surgery on my shoulder and collarbone,” Lazatin winced.

Lazatin was brought on March 27 to the EAMC when he was allegedly knocked out by a punch from Cornley whom he was arresting for disturbing the peace at the Sir William’s Hotel along Timog Avenue in South Triangle village.