Road rage suspect told: For your own safety, yield

The Land Cruiser used by road rage suspect Fredison Atienza was driven by his friend to Camp Karingal on Tuesday. —EDWIN BACASMAS

Despite sending surrender feelers through his lawyer, the suspect in the Feb. 25 road rage killing in Quezon City was a no-show at Camp Karingal, the city police headquarters.

The Quezon City Police District (QCPD) director, Chief Supt. Guillermo Eleazar, said the lawyer of Fredison Atienza met with him on Tuesday to ask what was expected of his client.

But as of press time Wednesday, Atienza, who was earlier described by the police as a high-stakes poker player and owner of two guns with expired licenses, had yet to give himself up.

“It would be better if he was to surrender to show the family of the victim and the public that he feels remorse about what happened. So right now, we are still waiting for developments while at the same time, our manhunt operations are continuing,” Eleazar said at Camp Crame.

“It would be better for him if he surrenders so that we can ensure his safety because he is now considered armed and dangerous,” he added.

Atienza is accused of killing information technology professional Anthony Mendoza during a road altercation on Saturday afternoon at the corner of D. Tuazon Street and Quezon Avenue.

The 45-year-old suspect was positively identified by the victim’s brother, Michael, who had accompanied Anthony to Banawe to buy automotive spare parts. A near-collision between the Mendoza’s motorcycle, which was being driven by Anthony with Michael as the backrider, and Atienza’s Toyota Land Cruiser led to an argument between the suspect and the victim. Michael said Atienza pulled out a gun and shot his brother in the head, killing him on the spot.

Eleazar dismissed the theory that the suspect might have mistaken the brothers for “motorcycle-riding killers.”

“Based on the statement of the witness who is the brother of the victim, they could not have been mistaken for tandem-riding killers because they (suspect and victim) even talked,” he said.