By CESAR JOLITO III

A 30-year-old motorcycle rider was taken into police custody after he allegedly assaulted a 67-year-old driver in a road rage incident along the national highway at Barangay Salvacion in Negros Occidental’s Murcia town.

Murcia police said the vehicles — a hatchback driven by the elderly victim from Murcia town’s Barangay Zone V, and a motorcycle driven by the suspect from Silay City’s Barangay Patag — were traveling in the same direction along the highway at around 5:30 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, March 8.

Initial investigation showed that upon reaching Hacienda Bernabe in Barangay Salvacion, the motorcycle rider allegedly overtook the car and blocked its path, forcing the driver to stop.

Police said the suspect then approached the vehicle, forcibly pulled the driver out, and repeatedly punched him, causing injuries to his face.

Responding officers brought both individuals to the Murcia Municipal Health Unit for medical examination.

The motorcycle rider was subsequently taken to the Murcia police station and placed under custody.

Meanwhile, the Land Transportation Office in the Negros Island Region (LTO-NIR) announced it will issue a show-cause order against the rider in connection with the road rage incident.

The order will require the motorcyclist to explain why his driver’s license should not be suspended, revoked or subjected to other administrative sanctions.

LTO-NIR is reviewing the incident as part of efforts to ensure road safety and accountability among motorists./CJ, WDJ