Pattaya —
A foreign tourist, allegedly intoxicated after drinking alcohol and smoking cannabis, stole a taxi directly across from a drunk driving checkpoint and crashed into a utility pole in Pattaya, injuring himself. The incident occurred early this morning, September 12th, 2024.
At 4:06 AM, police officers at the Dongtan Police Substation were notified of an accident involving a foreigner who had crashed a vehicle into a utility pole. The incident occurred on Thappraya Road, intersecting Jomtien Second Road, in Jomtien. After receiving the report, officers quickly rushed to the scene. Adam Judd, the chief of content of The Pattaya News, who was nearby, actually heard the crash and saw the aftermath, with other staff arriving shortly after. Ironically, police didn’t have far to go as the entire incident took place only a few dozen feet from a police drunk driving checkpoint.
Authorities discovered a blue and yellow taxi, which had veered off the road and collided with the utility pole, severely damaging the front of the vehicle. When officers inspected the car, they were stunned to find that the driver was a white foreign man, between 25 to 35 years old. He was reportedly heavily intoxicated from alcohol and wearing only boxer shorts. He appeared disoriented and claimed he had also been smoking cannabis, on top of being heavily drunk. The man sustained minor abrasions on his body.
According to the owner of the taxi, Mr. Saranyut Panprasong, 37, he had left the taxi running while he went into a convenience store. While choosing items, he noticed the foreign man opening the car door and speeding his taxi away. However, the suspect didn’t get very far before crashing into the utility pole. Fortunately, traffic police were conducting alcohol checkpoints nearby and were able to arrest the man quickly.
The foreigner, whose identity was withheld by police, has been detained at Pattaya Police Station. Authorities plan to question him and proceed with legal action once he sobers up. He will also have to pay for the damages to the car and the pole. They also planned to test him for harder illegal drugs, as due to the grey legality of cannabis, suspects often try to blame incidents on it to attempt to avoid harsh charges for harder illegal drugs, like meth.
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