Road rage case: Ex-Army man gets 40 years for murder of cyclist

Vhon Tanto —Earvin Perias

MANILA, Philippines — A former Army reservist was sentenced to up to 40 years in prison on Monday after he was convicted of killing a cyclist in a road rage incident in Quiapo, Manila, in 2016.

Judge Buenaventura Albert Tenorio of the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 14 found Vhon Tanto guilty beyond reasonable doubt of the murder of Mark Vincent Garalde.

He ordered Tanto to pay the victim’s family over P1.04 million in actual damages and P300,000 in indemnity ex delicto, moral and exemplary damages.

A fistfight broke out between the two men when the victim, who was on a bicycle, [was blocked by] Tanto’s car on July 25, 2016.

Footage taken by a closed-circuit television camera showed Tanto getting a gun from his car and shooting Garalde repeatedly before escaping.

He later surrendered to authorities who tracked him down in Masbate province after a nationwide search.

READ: FULL TEXT: Guilty verdict to Vhon Martin Tanto for death of cyclist Mark Vincent Garalde