Thai police have arrested a local taxi driver after he attacked two foreign tourists with a knife and threatened to kill them. The cause of the conflict was a disagreement over the fare, writes the publication Thaiger.
The incident occurred in Pattaya on Second Road. The police received a call that a motorcycle taxi driver was waving a knife in front of foreign tourists. A man in his 50s and 60s, dressed in an orange motorcycle taxi uniform, was caught on camera by eyewitnesses during the attack. Several people, both Thais and foreigners, tried to intervene to stop him.
Police in Pattaya quickly apprehended the suspect, who turned out to be Vorapol Narozh, a motorcycle taxi driver near the city's night bazaar. Giving evidence, he explained that the passengers were trying to reduce the fare to 40 baht per person. This is half of the quoted price of 80 baht per person. The identities of foreign passengers are not yet known.
A witness to the incident, 31-year-old Alessandro Somsaen, said that first a fight broke out between the suspect and foreign citizens, and then he pursued the tourists and tried to stab them with a knife. Fortunately, several people came to the aid of foreign nationals and helped to sort out the situation. The suspect fled the scene and was later apprehended by police.
Police have confirmed that the suspect is awaiting trial and legal punishment. His driver's license and permit to drive a motorcycle taxi will also be affected.
At the end of last year, a motorcycle taxi driver in Pattaya was arrested after allegedly sexually harassing his passenger, a Thai singer named Yanawut. The taxi driver denied the allegations, claiming he touched the woman to keep her from falling off her motorcycle. In January, a group of taxi mafiosi allegedly attacked two Pattaya Bolt drivers.
These incidents serve as a reminder to all passengers and especially foreign tourists to be careful, resolve conflicts peacefully and not resort to violence.
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