Police recommend charges vs ‘crazy yellow car’ driver
The Makati City Police (MCP) has recommended the filing of charges against the lady driver who crashed her yellow compact car into vehicles and security personnel in Makati last month.
Sr. Supt. Elmedio Tagra, MCP officer-incharge, also recommended that driver Jamie Camille Lee Brojan, 28, should undergo medical examination to determine if she is fitness to drive and to possess a driver's license because she could pose danger to the public.
“She should be subjected to medical assessment if she is still qualified to drive a vehicle and to possess a driver's license," said Tagra, in his two-page report.
While the suspect and the security guards of Rockwell entered into an amicable settlement, Tagra said Brojan “is still responsible to the damaged properties and should suffer the consequences of her doings.”
Tagra noted Brojan "reacted dangerously" while being apprehended for a traffic violation. However, the “suspect's health condition cannot be ground for her to be exempted from any liability."
Earlier, the parents of the suspect claimed she was bipolar and was taking medication.
“This incident could happen again and will endanger other people around her if her brain will initiate again by an unpleasant situation while on the road and driving a vehicle,” said Tagra.
The police made the recommendations after Mayor Abigail Binay directed authorities to conduct a full investigation into the incident and file appropriate charges. The police report is now with the City Legal Department.
The suspect surrendered to the police after over an hour of recklessly driving to evade her pursuers who were trying to apprehend her for a traffic violation. Several vehicles and properties were damaged and several security guards injured.
Binay earlier said the case should not be treated lightly as it involved serious offenses that not only damaged government property, but also endangered the lives of pedestrians and motorists along the route taken by the driver.
“Mere extrajudicial settlement with injured parties does not automatically absolve the driver of her criminal liability. We will be filing appropriate charges against the driver based on the results of the police investigation, and let the Fiscal determine if the case should be filed in court,” she said.
The police had said Brojan, who was also found driving without a license, has not come back to the police station to present her driver’s license. She has also pledged to submit a medical certificate attesting that she was “bipolar”, as she and her relatives have claimed.