MPD chief: Driver in bloody dispersal has good moral character

A police patrol car goes berserk as it plows through protesters, running over some of them, at a rally outside the US Embassy in Manila on Oct. 19. AP VIDEO SCREEN GRAB

Police Officer 3 Franklin Kho, the driver of the police van that hit and ran over several protesters in a rally dispersal, has a clean record as a policeman, according to the chief of the Manila Police District (MPD).

Asked if they had conducted a background check on the erring policeman, MPD director Senior Supt. Joel Coronel on Thursday said based on their records, Kho had outstanding behavior while in service and had no pending administrative or criminal charges.

READ: Police officer denies deliberately hitting protesters at US Embassy

“Based on our records and personal file, he’s of good moral character. He had outstanding behavior. He has no administrative or criminal cases so far,” Coronel said in a press conference at Camp Crame a day after the bloody dispersal of militant ralliers in front of the US Embassy in Manila.

Kho was driving the van that plowed through several protesters, at one point running over at least two persons, as it sprinted back and forth about 20 meters into the crowd.

WATCH: Police van runs over protesters at anti-US rally

He was relieved from his post and placed under restrictive custody in the National Capital Region Police Office at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City along with eight other MPD officers, including Senior Supt. Marcelino Pedrozo, the ground commander at the rally.

A video of an officer pulling the hair of a lumad inside a jeepney during the dispersal has gone viral. When the police officer saw a person taking shots of the incident, he also assaulted the videographer.

The media network Altermidya uploaded the video and identified the officer who assaulted the lumad and the videographer as Kho. The officer in the video wore an MPD uniform with the PO3 rank insignia.

RELATED STORIES

Van driver, Manila cops relieved over violent dispersal

PNP asks witnesses: Share videos of rally dispersal

RELATED VIDEO