MANILA, Philippines — An Australian man wanted for allegedly trying to run over Davao City first district Rep. Paolo Duterte during a road altercation in 2013 was arrested in Pasig, the police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) reported yesterday.
Michael Hatcher, 82, was apprehended at the CIDG’s eastern district field unit in Barangay Caniogan on Thursday afternoon.
Col. Randy Glenn Silvio, chief of the CIDG National Capital Region field unit, said Hatcher went to the police station to report a man who allegedly attempted to dupe him into buying a ton of gold bars from Mindanao in exchange for P54 million.
While in the middle of a case operational plan against the gold scammer, CIDG operatives under the supervision of Lt. Col. Alvin Cuyag conducted a background investigation on Hatcher.
Upon checking Hatcher’s name in the police e-warrant system, it turned out that a court in Davao City issued a warrant for his arrest in September 2015 for direct assault with attempted murder.
Hatcher was accused of trying to run over Duterte, who was then vice mayor, and a police escort in Davao City in 2013.
“While the suspect was out on bail, he failed to attend the court hearings, leading to the issuance of a warrant for his arrest,” Silvio said.
Hatcher was handcuffed and brought to the CIDG office at Camp Crame in Quezon City for booking procedures.