THE Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) has recovered the SUV believed to have been involved in the hit-and-run incident that resulted in the death of 23-year-old basketball player Jeslar Larumbe.
The Mazda CX-7 SUV was found abandoned and parked along A. Laura St. in Barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. It is now in CCPO custody.
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SunStar Cebu is withholding the vehicle’s plate number for privacy reasons.
The police traced the vehicle’s registration to a businessman named “Kal,” real name withheld pending the investigation.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Janette Rafter, deputy city director for operations of the CCPO, said as soon as they discovered the car, they got in touch with Kal, who promised cooperation in their investigation.
Rafter said the witnesses’ accounts coincided with the CCTV footage that showed the sport utility vehicle and its license plate.
(There was CCTV footage that circulated on social media that showed this vehicle. There are also witnesses; that’s why we were able to locate the car in the area through the CCTV and the witnesses’ accounts.)
In an interview with dyHP AM radio, Kal admitted owning the Mazda CX-7 but he denied that he was driving the vehicle on Saturday night before the incident.
Larumbe died on Sunday, Feb. 4 after the motorcycle he was riding was hit by an SUV.
Car owner’s side
Kal said he left on Saturday without bringing a car and later returned to his home on Cabajar St., Barangay Guadalupe.
He said his female friend may have used the car without his knowledge, as she had a spare key for it. Kal claimed that the dents on the car’s front right side were already present when he bought it. He said he was the vehicle’s fifth owner.
He added that his car used to have blinkers, which he had obtained through his online business, but he removed them after he was caught by members of the Highway Patrol Group 7 and made to pay a fine.
“Way back before, namaligya ko’g emergency lights and sirens ba. Kana akong gitaod before kay for advertisement, unya gitangtang na namo kay na-apprehend man ko before. Kanang mga lumping dugay na na. Wala na ma-blotter kay self-inflicted ra man na,” Kal said.
(I used to sell emergency lights and sirens. What I installed before was for advertisement, but we removed them because I was apprehended. The dents are old ones. There were no blotter records because it was self-inflicted.)
‘Lies’
After Kal’s radio interview, “Juan,” real name withheld, called dyHP radio and alleged that Kal was lying because they saw him driving the car and parking it outside his house last Sunday morning.
Juan claimed that contrary to his usual behavior, the businessman did not greet his neighbors who were hanging out on the side of the road when he arrived.
Juan added that Kal’s car has blinkers and has “Republic of the Philippines” written on its license plate.
The vehicle’s arrival time can also be seen on the CCTV cameras in the vicinity.
Kal turned over the car key to the authorities should the police decide to conduct a forensic analysis of the vehicle.
Rafter said they have a lead in their investigation but are still gathering additional evidence to strengthen the case they will file with the prosecutor’s office.
Rafter said they had traced Larumbe’s whereabouts before the incident, including the vehicle involved in the fatal collision. However, they declined to disclose this information until they had gathered sufficient evidence to identify the suspect.
“We are establishing a strong case, airtight case so that mahatagan gyud nato og saktong hustisya ang biktima (we can give justice to the victim),” Rafter said.
Rama to file case
Determined to clear his name of allegations and caution the public against dangerous assumptions, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama has consulted his lawyers about holding those who spread inaccurate information about him accountable.
“It’s a murder. I cannot just allow it to pass. It’s very, very bad,” said Rama.
Rama has been linked to Larumbe’s untimely death, as speculations circulated on social media that it was his convoy that hit and left the basketball player dead on Queens Road on Feb. 4.
Rama, however, denied this and said he was in Bohol when the incident happened.
Rama initially addressed the matter during the flag-raising ceremony on City Hall grounds last Monday, Feb. 5.
The CCPO has already clarified that the SUV, which was equipped with sirens and blinkers, was driven by a civilian and was not part of any VIP convoy.