Bulacan motorcycle crash prompts investigation into police officer's behavior

A police officer is being investigated after allegedly kicking and cursing at a motorcycle rider he was chasing for a traffic violation.

The motorcycle rider died after being rushed to the hospital, according to the “24 Oras” report by Tina Panganiban-Perez on Monday.

The CCTV footage of the incident that happened on September 7, 2026, at an intersection in Sta. Isabel, Malolos, Bulacan showed two motorcycles traveling at high speed.

The camera captured how the victim’s motorcycle slipped, skidded, and sparks flew from its wheels.

Following the crash, a man identified as Police Master Sergeant Patrick Nagal, who was assigned to the Tactical Motorcycle Riding Unit (TMRU) of Malolos, can be heard cursing at the injured rider and demanding that he stand up, while faint groans of pain are heard in the background.

“G*ago ka kasi! T***a ka! P*** mo! Tayo! K***a mo! G*go ka! Tatakbuhan mo pa kami, hayop ka,” the man can be heard saying in the footage.

The victim was identified as Angelo Mercado. Authorities said he was allegedly being chased due to a traffic violation.

“Sana pinahinto na lang po. Hihinto naman po ‘yung anak ko na 'yan eh. [Sana] kinausap ‘yun lang po ‘yung dapat na gawin, hindi ‘yung habulin ka, gitgitin at sipain po. Hindi ko po matanggap, kailangan mabigyan po siya ng hustisya talaga,” said Juvy Aromin, the victim’s mother.

(I wish he had just flagged him down. My son would have stopped. [I wish] he had just talked to him —that’s all he should have done, not chase him, sideswipe him, and kick him. I cannot accept this. He really needs to get justice.)

Mercado was declared dead on arrival at the hospital. His mother expressed deep grief and outrage because the police officer reportedly did not immediately bring her son to a hospital for medical treatment.

“Sana tinulungan mong mabuhay. Sana itinakbo mo ‘yung anak ko. Tumatawag ng ‘Ma, ma, ma’ [pero] hindi mo pinansin, pinagmumura mo pa. Pinatatayo pa po siya,” Aromin said.

(I wish you had helped him survive. I wish you had rushed my son to the hospital. He was calling out ‘Mom, Mom, Mom,’ [but] you ignored him and kept cursing at him. You even kept telling him to stand up.)

According to the Malolos City Police Station (CPS), the victim was being chased by the cop because he was allegedly not wearing a helmet and his vehicle did not have a license plate.

Malolos CPS Chief Investigator PSMS Ronald Rosario said the police officer tried to flag down the victim, but he sped away.

“Nagco-conduct sila ng motorcycle patrolling, so patrol. And then, napansin po nila na walang helmet at walang plaka,” Rosario said.

(They were conducting motorcycle patrol operations. Then, they noticed that he wasn't wearing a helmet and had no license plate.)

“So ang ginawa po ng TRMU personnel ay pinilit niyang ma-flag down para ma-verify. So ang ginawa naman po nitong rider, base naman po sa CCTV footage, ay nagtuloy-tuloy po siya sa pagtakbo,” he added.

(So the TMRU personnel tried to flag him down, but based on CCTV footage, the rider kept going and continued to speed away.)

However, according to the victim’s fellow rider, the patrolling police officers were not conducting an official checkpoint.

One riding companion shared that a TMRU officer cut off his vehicle and motioned as if to kick him.

“May nadaanan po kaming mga nakahintong motor na mga TRMU. Hindi naman po namin pinansin kasi wala naman pong checkpoint. So pagpasok po namin ng San Pablo, papuntang kalagitnaan po ng, may bigla pong kumat sa’kin tapos akma pong tatadyakan ako. Tas ’yon na tumakbo na ako, siyempre po nagulat ako,” he said.

(We passed by some TMRU personnel. We didn't pay attention to them because there was no checkpoint. But when we entered San Pablo, right in the middle of the road, someone suddenly cut me off and made a gesture as if to kick me. That’s when I sped away because I was startled.)

Mercado’s family has already filed charges against the police officer.

Authorities are still investigating whether the officer kicked the motorcycle, causing the victim to crash. However, police said no evidence supporting this claim has been found so far.

“Hinanap namin kung meron bang alleged na paninipa doon sa insidente. Initially, wala pa kaming nakita na ganong anggulo. Kung may ebidensya patungkol doon sa sinasabi nila na sinipa ay karapatan po nila na ihain ‘yung reklamo na yan,” Rosario said.

(We looked into whether there was an alleged kicking incident during the crash. Initially, we haven't seen evidence supporting that angle. If they have evidence regarding the claim that he was kicked, it is their right to file that complaint.)

Authorities are also looking into the police officer’s cussing to the victim.

“Sa mga ganyang insidente, sir, maaaring kasong administratibo po ‘yan at ‘yung ganong klase pong pagmumura ay kasalukuyan pa po naming tinatalakay,” Rosario explained.

(In incidents like that, sir, it could constitute an administrative case, and that kind of profanity is currently being discussed.) - Lyjah Tiffany Bonzo/BAP, GMA News