The road rampage and high-speed pursuit began after officers were notified at 8:30am today (Nov 9) that a pickup had crashed into a car near the Government Savings Bank Intersection in Patong and fled the scene.
Witnesses described the offending vehicle as a white four-door Toyota pickup with the last two licence-plate digits 46.
Officers nearby spotted the pickup and gave pursuit. They managed to get the driver to pull over in front of Wat Patong, but as they approached the parked pickup, the driver ‒ later identified as Brazilian national Marcelo da Conceicao Nascimento ‒ revved the engine and sped off. As he raced up the hill, he narrowly avoided colliding with other vehicles.
By the time Brazilian reached the Patong City sign on Patong Hill, he had collided with one Hyundai van and a yellow-plate passenger van carrying eight foreign tourists.
The impact with the passenger van resulted in the van being forced off the road and into the uphill embankment. The van flipped onto its side, with somehow only the driver reported as suffering injuries.
The Brazilian continued his dangerous rampage down Patong Hill, narrowly missing more vehicles as he descended the hill towards Kathu at high speed.
He drove the pickup into Soi Bang Thong, with the police still in pursuit. However, by this time the officers had the full licence plate of the pickup, กช-9646 (GorChor 9646) registered in Trang, and radioed ahead for Kathu Police to block his escape with a checkpoint.
Still trying to avoid arrest, da Conceicao Nascimento entered Bang Thong village, where he struck a motorbike carrying a Thai man and a woman, who suffered minor injuries. He turned around and sped off, then abandoned the pickup at a golf cart repair shop and fled on foot.
Officers gave pursuit through the nearby golf course, and soon had him under arrest.
Officers took da Conceicao Nascimento to Kathu Police Station, where a breathalyser recorded his blood alcohol conecntration (BAC) at 202 (in some countries read as 0.202)
The full extent of charges against him have yet to be confirmed.