Weapons .45 caliber pistol Non-fatal injuries 1 Motive Road rage Attack types Boxing, Shooting, Murder | Deaths Mark Vincent Garalde Perpetrators Vhon Martin Tanto Date 25 July 2016 | |
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Location Quiapo, Manila, Philippines | ||
A road rage incident occurred on the night of 25 July 2016 in Quiapo, Manila, Philippines. A car driver, who was later identified by police as former army reservist Vhon Martin Tanto, fatally shot bicyclist Mark Vincent Garalde following an apparent road rage incident. An 18-year-old female bystander was also shot by a stray bullet and put in critical condition, though it was unclear whether the bullet also came from the suspect's gun. Four days after the incident, the authorities apprehended Tanto in Masbate and found the car used during the incident — a Hyundai Eon — in Nueva Vizcaya.
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Incident
The incident, which was recorded on CCTV camera, occurred on P. Casal Street in Quiapo. A man named Mark Vincent Garalde was riding away on his bicycle as the suspect — unidentified at the time of the incident but later identified as Vhon Martin Tanto — got out of his car and walked towards Garalde. Before that, Tanto was exiting Vergara Street as Garalde was biking towards Ayala Bridge; the two almost hit each other, prompting Tanto to veer to the right and step on the brake. Tanto honked his car horn at Garalde. In the media conference following his arrest and five days after the incident, Tanto recalled that he didn't see that Garalde had chased him, and that he then rolled down his car windows and apologized to the biker. Garalde then retaliated, according to Tanto, by swearing at him and calling him an "arrogant driver." Both were seen arguing until it turned into a fist fight that lasted two minutes, ending after Tanto got a black eye. Tanto then got inside his car while Garalde walked back towards his bicycle. Tanto got out of his car again with the gun and then fatally shot Garalde in the face at point-blank range. Garalde received a total of five gunshot wounds, some of which were to his face. An 18-year-old female bystander named Rocel Bondoc was hit by a stray bullet; she was brought to a nearby hospital in critical condition. Tanto drove away from the crime scene to Baliuag, Bulacan.
Police cite that Tanto's car hitting Garalde, the bicycle rider, was the trigger of the altercation.
Investigation and manhunt
Following the incident, authorities launched a manhunt for Vhon Tanto. Manila mayor Joseph Estrada offered a P100,000 reward for the arrest of Tanto, and later increased it to P200,000. The authorities found the car Tanto used during the incident (a Hyundai Eon) at the house of his brother-in-law in Purok 3 - Brgy Kirang, Aritao, Nueva Vizcaya on 28 July 2016. It was reported that Tanto left Nueva Vizcaya that same morning and arrived in Metro Manila at 5:00 p.m. It was reported that Tanto owns three handguns — two of which were .45 caliber; the third, .40 caliber.
On 29 July 2016 at 11:45 a.m., Tanto was apprehended in Brgy Poblacion East, Milagros, Masbate — about 586 kilometres (364 mi) away from the incident — by the police. He was charged with murder for Garalde's death, and frustrated homicide for the bystander he seriously wounded. He is now in the custody of the Manila Police District.
Reaction
Hundreds of cyclists gathered at Luneta Park to pay respect to Mark Vincent Garalde on Sunday, 31 July 2016. The cyclists headed towards Quiapo, where Garalde was killed. Prayers were offered both for justice to be served and for the recovery of the bystander, Rocel Bondoc, who remains in critical condition. A white bicycle was erected on the crime spot as a memorial for Garalde.
Perpetrator
The perpetrator, Vhon Martin Tanto, aged 39, is an army reservist, who was assigned to the 1301st Community Center, National Capital Regional Community Defense Group of the Army Reserve Command, based in Caloocan City.