Sunday, August 17, 2008 'Drunk' driver rams police car into parked City Hall vehicle
A MOBILE Patrol Group (MPG) policeman who was reportedly drunk will have a lot of explaining to do, after the patrol car he was driving hit another police car parked near the Cebu City General Services Office (GSO) last Friday night.
The crash damaged the left side door and the rear light of the parked Toyota Innova wagon (SHN 888).
The Innova vans are properties of the Cebu City Government but were lent to the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) for its operations.
The incident happened at the GSO compound at the South Road Properties around 10:30 p.m.
PO1 Crisostomo Bayato was about to take out the patrol car with body number 010 (SHN 898) from the motor pool in the vicinity of the General Services Office when he accidentally hit the other patrol car parked nearby.
The spot report submitted to the CCPO operations’ section stated that Bayato was “drunk at the time the incident occurred.”
In a phone interview yesterday, MPG Chief Arnel Banzon said that Bayato has been investigated and asked to submit an explanation letter on Monday.
In October 2006, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña recalled 10 Toyota Innovas the City Government issued to the police, after one of the units, as it was leaving a motel at the North Reclamation Area, hit a parked taxi.
The next month, the mayor reissued the vehicles, but warned he would “blame the entire police department” if anything went wrong. The vehicles are used by the Special Weapons and Tactics team, the Mobile Patrol Group and the Crime Suppression Unit. (JST)
