Authorities said there is no legal basis to take into custody the driver of the sport-utility vehicle involved in last week’s hit-and-run incident of a security guard directing traffic in Mandaluyong City due to the lack of a warrant of arrest.
Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesperson Police Colonel Jean Fajardo explained that it is beyond the control of the PNP “should there be an out-of-court settlement between both parties.”
“To inform the public, the PNP has no legal grounds to take into custody the suspect considering that no warrant of arrest has been issued against him. He is also no longer subject to warrantless arrest because there’s already a considerable lapse of time from the time the incident happened,” Fajardo added.
However, despite the lack of a warrant, Fajardo said Jose Antonio Sanvicente will still face charges and answer the accusations against him during a hearing on Friday, June 17, according to the suspect’s lawyer, Danilo Macalino.
In a press conference, Sanvicente surrendered on Wednesday to the PNP and apologized to the victim, Christian Joseph Floralde, who was seriously injured.
Macalino said Sanvicente failed to help the victim “out of panic.”
A viral video showed that Floralde was run over by a white SUV as he was trying to direct traffic at the intersection of Julia Vargas Avenue and St. Francis Street in Mandaluyong City at around 4 p.m. on June 6.
Complaints, including frustrated murder and abandonment of one’s own victim, have been filed against the suspect.
Sanvicente also denied that he is a drug user. He has yet to be advised to undergo a drug test, as the charges against him are only traffic-related, Macalino said.
