Woman in viral road rage video denies hurting taxi driver

The woman who was accused of hurting a taxi driver during a traffic altercation on Wednesday asked the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to dismiss the license revocation complaint against her for lack of merit.

In her position paper, Cherish Sharmaine Interior denied physically hurting taxi driver Virgilio Doctor during a traffic altercation last December 17 along Congressional Avenue in Quezon City.

Interior was seen in a viral video reaching into Doctor's side window and trying to dismantle the taxicab's side mirror.

Doctor claimed Interior smashed the taxicab with a golf club and hit him in the face "with her closed fist."

Interior said in her position paper that before their heated confrontation, Doctor was driving recklessly, tailgated their vehicle, and bumped on their vehicle with his taxicab.

She said she and her partner were taking her children to a Christmas party at the time of the incident.

Interior said she had to stop in order to take note of the name and operator of the taxi, but when her live-in partner asked Doctor why he had almost bumped the car, the taxi driver allegedly accused her of cutting his lane and "even took pictures of them."

She claimed Doctor hit her knee as the taxi driver drove the cab forward, in an alleged attempt to escape. Doctor also allegedly hit her live-in partner with the taxicab's door and then called them "baliw."

Interior said that she only reacted "like any other person" would.

She denied punching or slapping Doctor and said she only pointed a finger at him. To this, Doctor said, “Sabi niya lang po ‘yun,” claiming his ear rang after the alleged slap.

Interior failed to personally appear at the LTO's main office in Quezon City. In her position paper, she said she could not attend the hearing "due to security and safety concerns as there are a lot of bashers in social media who are actually threatening to harm her and/or destroy her life."

Interviewed after the 1 p.m. hearing attended only by Doctor and his counsel, LTO Law Enforcement Services Director Francis Ray Almora said Interior’s position paper will be accepted as her compliance with the subpoena.

Doctor, meanwhile, arrived at around 10 a.m. at the Law Enforcement Service office of the LTO to undergo a medical checkup based on orders from Law Enforcement Service Director Francis Ray Almora.

Doctor may have his driver's license downgraded from professional to non-professional on account of the stroke he had in 2014, according to the subpoena issued to him by the LTO, as he could be unfit for driving a public vehicle given his medical history. Doctor's lawyer Antonio Inton, Jr. told reporters his client has not figured in major accidents and traffic violations since his stroke.

Interior was summoned by the LTO after Doctor filed the license revocation complaint against her.

The taxi driver has also filed charges of slight physical injury, unjust vexation, and malicious mischief against Interior at the Quezon City Prosecutor's Office.

In her position paper, Interior said she did not know that the registration of the vehicle she was driving has not been renewed because she was not its registered owner.

She also said that she tried calling Doctor's operator but he "blatantly failed to hear her grievance and take positive action on the same." She also tried calling the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board twice but "was not able to contact them."

Interior said she had also filed charges of slight physical injury and unjust vexation against Doctor last December 18, a day after the incident.

The filing of the complaint was made a day ahead of Doctor's filing of a similar complaint against Interior on December 19 at the Quezon City Prosecutor's Office.

Of Interior’s defense and counter-accusations, the taxi driver's camp said the contents of the woman’s were “expected,” but that they would push through with the case to fight for the dignity not just of Doctor, but of all public utility vehicle drivers.

The case filed before the LTO, which will now be transmitted to LTO chief Edgar Galvante "for his appreciation," will likely have a verdict by the second week of January, said Almora.

Depending on Galvante's judgment, the case could be dismissed, as is Interior's prayer in her position paper, or she could have her driver's license suspended or canceled. —ALG/KBK, GMA News