PHUKET — Emotional displays on the road can escalate into complicated problems or legal cases, as with the incident that occurred on a street in downtown Phuket Province last Thursday.
On August 30, 2024, investigators from Wichit Police Station in Phuket Province filed charges against Mr. Sunny, a 44-year-old American expat, for property damage and causing fear or alarm by threats.
This stems from a road incident where he had an altercation with a Thai female driver, which was captured on video and shared on social media.
Ms. San, 26, the other party in the dispute with Mr. Sunny, filed a complaint with Wichit Police Station on the afternoon of August 29. She reported that while driving through a tunnel in Wichit sub-district, the other party’s car attempted to overtake her, honking loudly, and cut in front of her twice without using turn signals.
At the time, she didn’t think much of it, assuming the other driver was in a hurry, so she let them pass on the right. When she stopped at a traffic light near a famous department store, the foreign man stopped his car, got out, and hit the back of her car, leaving a dent.
He tried to open her car door, but it was locked. Unable to open it, he returned to his car, then came back to verbally abuse her. She recorded a video of the incident. Later, she posted on social media requesting dashcam footage from other drivers who passed by during the incident to use as evidence for her police report.
Subsequently, Police Colonel Chatree Chookaew, superintendent of Wichit Police Station, ordered officers to check the car’s license plate and summon the owner for questioning. Mr. Sunny and his lawyer then met with the deputy investigator, who found that Mr. Sunny had an international driver’s license.
He stated that he was rushing to take his wife to the doctor. When he encountered the other party’s car braking suddenly, it caused his ill wife to jolt inside the car. This angered him greatly, so when they reached the incident location, he stopped the car and got out to question the other party. After taking his wife to the doctor, he came to meet with the Wichit Police Station investigators and confessed to all charges.
According to Section 392 of the Criminal Code, anyone who causes fear or alarm in others by threats is subject to a maximum penalty of one month imprisonment or a fine not exceeding 10,000 baht, or both.
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