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Cebu road rage suspect claims self-defense, plans to file counter charges

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ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/news/03/21/david-lim-1.jpg"/><figcaption><div class="embed-desc"><cite>Photo by Angelica Fay Saniel, ABS-CBN News</cite></div></figcaption></figure></div><p>CEBU - <strong>(UPDATED) </strong>Road rage suspect David Lim Jr. claimed he was merely defending himself when he fired a gun after a traffic altercation. </p><p>&quot;I fired a warning shot on the ground, as you can see in the video, he directly went to me so i just had to restrain him.. I don&#x27;t know what he might do,&quot; Lim told reporters Tuesday, hours after he surrendered to cops, with help from President Rodrigo Duterte&#x27;s aide Bong Go. </p><p>Lim also denied driving wayward, as he urged the camp of his supposed victim Ephraim Nuñal to produce proof that he was not driving properly. </p><p>&quot;They know from the very beginning that I wasn&#x27;t driving zigzag. They kept honking, more than 5 seconds honking. The two cars kept honking at my back,&quot; Lim said. </p><p>&quot;If they have the video, a copy of it, where they can prove that I was zigzag, then go. I also have proof that I wasn&#x27;t really driving zigzag,&quot; he added. </p><p>Lim recalled that when he got off the car to check what was happening, passengers of the other vehicle were shouting at him. </p><p>&quot;They kept shouting at me. Then I saw his male companions, I saw more than 1, 2, that&#x27;s when I felt threatened,&quot; added Lim. </p><p>Lawyer Orlando Salatandre, who represents Lim, said their camp may also file counter-charges. Lim is facing frustrated homicide and illegal possession of loose firearms. </p><p>Cebu City Police Office Director, Senior Supt. Joel Doria said Lim&#x27;s companion, identified as Tamae Takahashi, might be facing charges for being accessory to the crime.</p><p>Two witnesses already submitted their affidavit, police added. </p><p>Lim, who surrendered Tuesday with help from presidential aide Bong Go, is accused of shooting 33-year-old nurse Ephraim Nuñal. A video of the Sunday incident has since made rounds online.</p><p>Salatandre questioned the video, saying it appears edited. </p><p>Lim &quot;surrendered for safe keeping only,&quot; the lawyer added, while denying the shooting suspect was getting <a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/21/17/pnp-denies-vip-perks-for-road-rage-suspect">special treatment</a> from the Philippine National Police. </p><p>Central Visayas police director, Chief Supt. Noli Taliño said Lim stayed at his office. </p><p>Lim, nephew of an alleged drug lord, meanwhile underwent booking procedures. </p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">LOOK: Mug shot of David Lim Jr., suspect of road rage incident in Cebu City | via <a href="https://twitter.com/DYABTELERADYO">@DYABTELERADYO</a> <a href="https://t.co/IooV8rHzoA">pic.twitter.com/IooV8rHzoA</a></p>— ABS-CBN News (@ABSCBNNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/ABSCBNNews/status/844013621051121664">March 21, 2017</a></blockquote><script async="" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/news/03/21/032117_lim2.jpg"/></figure></div><p>Lim surrendered at the PNP Regional Office 7 in Cebu around 2 a.m. after negotiations between his family and authorities. </p><p>President Rodrigo Duterte&#x27;s top aide, Christopher &quot;Bong&quot; Go <a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/21/17/bong-go-facilitated-road-rage-suspects-surrender-cop-chief">facilitated</a> the negotiations on Monday after cops failed to find and arrest Lim during a raid in his home, according to Taliño. </p><p>Duterte&#x27;s executive assistant, however, denied that he is personally acquainted with the Lim family, whom he said only reached him through the help of a Davao City resident. </p><p>Jun Salatandre, Lim&#x27;s lawyer, denied that the suspect was given special treatment while in police custody amid reports that he was detained in an air-conditioned room. </p><p>The suspect is a nephew of Peter Lim, whom Duterte tagged as a <a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/07/07/16/watch-duterte-names-3-drug-lords-tells-them-to-commit-suicide">drug trafficker</a> in July last year. Peter denied his alleged drug links in a <a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/16/16/duterte-meets-with-alleged-top-drug-lord-peter-lim">meeting</a> with the President in Malacañang. </p><figure class="op-interactive"><div id="IVS_ABS_Video_Widget_1_Container"><ivs-player id="IVS_ABS_Video_Widget_1" allow="autoplay" data-ivs-key="e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603" data-ivs-spid="3001339" data-ivs-wid="f5fb7bd1-3880"></ivs-player><script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js"></script></div></figure><p>Nuñal said he honked his horn at Lim after the latter stopped his Mercedes Benz in the middle of the road. </p><p>Their argument escalated into a fistfight that ended with David shooting Nuñal. </p><p>Lim said he only shot the nurse when he saw the latter&#x27;s companions getting out of their vehicle, according to Taliño. </p><div><strong>-- With reports from Carine Asutilla Lapid, John Lapid and Angelica Fay Saniel, ABS-CBN News</strong> </div>

<p>Road rage suspect David Lim Jr. claimed he was merely defending himself when he fired a gun after a traffic altercation. </p>

Road rage suspect David Lim Jr. claimed he was merely defending himself when he fired a gun after a traffic altercation.