Manila court orders arrest of cop who rammed protesters in 2016

A Manila court has issued a warrant of arrest against a police officer who drove a van into a crowd of protesters during a rally at the US Embassy in 2016.

According to the order posted by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) president Renato Reyes Jr. on social media, the Manila Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 7 issued an arrest warrant for Police Staff Sergeant (formerly Police Officer 3) Franklin Kho on charges of three counts of attempted homicide.

The court set his bail at P36,000 for each count.

The arraignment and pre-trial are set for September 2, 2024.

A video posted by the Associated Press showed a police utility vehicle accelerating both forward and in reverse, hitting several protesters in the process. At least one protester was trapped beneath the vehicle after being run over.

Fifty protesters were reportedly injured after the incident on October 19, 2016.

Kho previously cited “self-preservation” as a reason for ramming into the rallyists. —Joahna Lei Casilao/VBL, GMA Integrated News