Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Lei Ogumoro said traffic officers were conducting a highway enforcement checkpoint on Msgn. Guerrero Road at 8:25 p.m. on March 20 when they spotted a white Mitsubishi Mirage traveling at a high rate of speed.
Ogumoro said the traffic officers observed that the white sedan was making unsafe lane changes and was recklessly overtaking another vehicle using the opposite travel lane heading toward Dandan.
She added that the officers activated their emergency signal devices and gave chase but instead of stopping, the subject vehicle operated by Pagcu accelerated and picked up speed.
Ogumoro added that the officers noticed the vehicle swerving on the roadway, almost losing control several times so that oncoming vehicles were forced to pull over to the shoulder of the Dandan road to avoid a head-on collision.
Ogumoro said the roadway was wet at the time of the pursuit.
She said the high-speed pursuit continued past Dandan Elementary School and into several intersections within the Dandan village.
She said at one point during the pursuit, Pagcu lost control of the vehicle which almost collided into one of the houses.
Pagcu regained control of the vehicle and continued eluding the officers, in the process running through traffic stop signs within the village.
Ogumoro said when Pagcu’s vehicle came to a screeching halt, the officers performed a felony stop and ordered the occupants to step out of the vehicle.
Pagcu emerged from the vehicle with two female juveniles aged 14 and 16.
As police officers were conducting preliminary investigation at the felony stop scene, another vehicle drove up and informed the officers that Pagcu’s vehicle had struck his car earlier during the pursuit.
Pagcu was later booked and detained at the Department of Corrections.
The female juveniles were arrested for minor consuming alcohol and released to the Division of Youth Services.
