Pattaya —
A Bolt driver, Mr. Weeraphon Dwongsuwan, aged 30, was reportedly brutally assaulted in the early hours of Sunday, January 28th, by an allegedly heavily intoxicated British man in Pattaya.
Mr. Weeraphon sustained several injuries, including a closed right eye, multiple bruises across his body, a “bitten-off lower lip,” and bite marks on his abdomen and back.
According to reports, the incident unfolded around 3:30 AM when Mr. Weeraphon was hired by an Englishman, later identified by Pattaya police as Mr. James, 50, to drive him from Pattaya’s Soi Buakhao to a residence on Soi Thung Klom – Tan Man.
At the South Pattaya intersection, Mr. Weeraphon stated to the police that Mr. James, who was allegedly heavily drunk, asked him to stop the car to relieve himself. However, upon returning, the British national refused to re-enter the vehicle or pay the fare and instead walked to a nearby motorcycle taxi stand, according to Weeraphon.
Mr. Weeraphon then approached the tourist, demanding him to pay 171 baht, roughly about 5 USD, for the ride fare. An unidentified motorcycle taxi driver then intervened, offering to reach a compromise of Mr. James giving Weeraphon only a 100 baht (About 3 USD) and suggesting that Weeraphon follow Mr. James to his residence to collect the remaining amount while the motorbike taxi driver brought James the rest of the way home.
Weeraphon, the motorbike taxi driver, and allegedly Mr. James agreed to this compromise and so the three were off to James’ residence.
Following Mr. James to his residence, Mr. Weeraphon parked his white Mitsubishi Triton at the entrance of the alley and waited for the motorcycle taxi driver to come back with the remaining fare. Growing suspicious after a lengthy wait, he drove to Mr. James’s house to investigate.
To his surprise, Mr. Weeraphon said he saw the foreigner fighting with the motorcycle taxi driver. Mr. Weeraphon intervened and began recording the situation as evidence. This action, however, caused the foreigner to divert his ferocious attack upon him. The suspect allegedly punched, kicked, head-butted, and bit Mr. Weeraphon’s back, stomach, and lower lip, inflicting the various injuries he sustained.
Mr. Weeraphon eventually sought refuge in a nearby house and called the Pattaya police for help. While he hid, the enraged foreigner even reportedly stole his vehicle and crashed it into a nearby resident’s wall, causing significant damage.
Police arrived at the scene approximately 15 minutes later. By this time, the motorcycle taxi driver had disappeared. The British suspect, meanwhile, was detained by the police and taken to the Nongprue Police Station.
According to Pattaya police, Mr. James has counter claimed that he suffered a fractured skull inflicted by Mr. Weeraphon and that the motorbike taxi driver allegedly stole 10,000 baht from him. Mr. James said all of his actions were in self-defense. He filed a complaint against both the unidentified motorcycle driver and Mr. Weeraphon, insisting he was the victim in the incident. Both Mr. James and Mr. Weeraphon were subsequently sent to Banglamung Hospital for treatment.
Pattaya police are gathering evidence and will arrange further interrogations with all the parties involved to determine the facts in this particular situation. This would include identifying and interviewing the motorbike taxi driver and reviewing CCTV in the area.
The matter could proceed to Thai court, notes TPN media, if the different parties involved continue to have opposite allegations and statements. Both parties are also reportedly seeking financial compensation for medical bills and damages from the incident.
This is not the first recent incident with a Bolt driver and customer, just a few weeks ago a Bolt driver in Pattaya was viciously murdered and then had his body burned by a young Thai customer who refused to pay his fare.
