Suspect in viral road rage incident who used plate for congresspersons arrested

The most infamous man (at least for this week) has been caught.

Band member Jojo Valerio, the suspect who appeared in a viral video hitting a passenger of a car, was arrested last night in a bar in Tarlac City.

What made Valerio’s case special was not just the violence he displayed in the video but the fact that his car, an FJ Cruiser, sported a license plate bearing the number “8,” — a plate issued to members of the House of Representatives. As of the moment, the Philippine National Police (PNP) are still investigating how he acquired the special license plate.

The viral video featuring Valerio was posted on the Facebook account Dashcam Diaries on Sunday.

In it, he is shown hitting someone sitting on the driver’s seat of a car while his two friends — a man and a woman — appear unable to stop him.

The video has been shared almost 4,700 times and viewed almost 265,000 times.

According to ABS-CBN, the incident happened on McArthur Highway in Angeles City, Pampanga. During the altercation, Valerio reportedly claimed to be the son of a politician.

This prompted Pampanga Representative Carmelo Jon B Lazatin II to deny that Valerio was his son. He also said he didn’t own an FJ Cruiser.

GMA News reported that Valerio was arrested by members of the Police Regional Office 3 and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group at Baketeers Bar and Grill in Tarlac City.

The PNP learned about his whereabouts when they found out that his band Lil Eyes had a gig in that bar.

Other than the Angeles City incident, Valerio was also allegedly involved in a traffic altercation on Saturday on Congressional Ave., in Quezon City.

According to Abante TNT, Valerio has no connection whatsoever with any congressperson.

ABS-CBN tried to interview Valerio but he remained mum. He will be detained in Angeles and will be charged with grave threats, serious physical injury, abuse and usurpation of authority, and violation of traffic rules.

In a phone conversation with Coconuts Manila, PNP’s public information officer Agnes Nolasco said that police are still investigating how Valerio secured the special plates.