Patong taxi driver charged for kicking parked motorbike

A video recording of the incident was posted online on Sunday (Jan 22), spurring harsh criticism online and accusations that police were ignoring the incident.

In response, Patong Police on Sunday reported that the offender, named by police only as “Mr Sit”, 45, had been brought to Patong Police Station for questioning.

Mr Sit was also tested for drug use, police reported. He tested negative.

Mr Sit, who drives a taxi fitted with green licence plates, indicating that the vehicle may legally operate as a privately hired taxi, said he had parked on Phra Metta Rd (reported online by its pre-formal name ‘Phang Muang Sai Kor Rd’).

He went to leave and found the motorbike parked in front of his vehicle, preventing him from pulling out. This alone spurred his rage that ended with him kicking the motorbike over.

He apologised for the incident.

The owner of the motorbike, Peaow Prachumsawat, 38, said he had parked the motorbike directly in front of his shop while he went inside to install a fan.

He said knew he had parked in front of the taxi, but had left enough room for the taxi to leave easily.

“I heard the sound of the motorbike falling over and came out to find him [Mr Sit] picking it back up. There wasn’t much damage and I thought he had accidentally bumped the bike with his car.

“He just said, Sorry, sorry’, then got in his car and drove away. But after looking at the CCTV I saw that he had got out of his car and kicked the motorcycle until it fell over,” Mr Peaow said.

“I was confused and angry by the incident. Why was he acting so aggressively? Why didn’t he just ask someone in the shop to move the motorbike? He was not in any mood for negotiating, he was too emotional.

“This parking area is public. Any kind of car can come in front of our shop and park here ‒ I don’t care,” he added.

“I want to ask him to be reasonable about where he parks and who he meets. It’s a bad habit. If he meets someone who is also hot-headed, he doesn’t know how the event will end,” Mr Peaow said.

“I’d like to ask him to control his emotions too,” he added.

“As for the police, they will take the motorbike to assess the cost of repairs so he can have them done,” Mr Peaow concluded.