An off-duty policeman of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) was shot and hurt following a traffic altercation with two men one of whom introduced himself also as police officer, it was learned Sunday.

Superintendent Lino Banaag, chief of the QCPD’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (CIDU), identified the victim as PO1 Estephen Hernandez, 31, who is assigned to the QCPD’s District Mobile Unit (DMU).

Banaag said that Hernandez sustained a lone gunshot wound in the abdominal area and remains confined at the Quirino Memorial Medical Center (QMMC) in Quezon City after the victim managed to escape and rush himself to the hospital.

The police official said that there were two unidentified male suspects riding aboard a motorcycle who were involved in the shooting incident that took place 3:30 a.m. Saturday along McArthur Highway near the corner of Andres Bonifacio in the Monumento Circle in Caloocan City.

According to Hernandez’s account, the victim was driving in the area aboard his Kawasaki XCH motorcycle when got sideswiped by the motorcycle carrying the two suspects.

The victim said that the suspects driving in the opposite direction and countered the flow of the traffic on the street.

Regardless, the victim said that the suspects who were apparently drunk were ones who got angry.

One of the suspects got off the motorcycle and introduced himself as a member of the Caloocan City police as he confronted Hernandez.

Hernandez also introduced himself as a policeman and, after a brief discussion, thought the incident was over and forgotten.

However, as he was about to drive away, Hernandez was pistol whipped in the back of his head by the suspect and then shot at.
The victim managed to pull out his gun and fired back.

During the exchange of gunfire, Hernandez ran away and was able to flag down a passing taxi that brought him to the Quezon City General Hospital. He was later transferred to the QMMC.