Bangkok taxi driver caught on video beating Chinese passenger with an iron bar

A dash cam video featuring a taxi driver who bludgeoning a man to the ground on a Bangkok road has emerged. A witness said the victim, a Chinese passenger, tried to negotiate a fair price for the service but became irate by the taxi driver and smashed his hand down on the hood of the car making the driver angry.

Boonrod, a 44 year old Grab driver, who recorded the incident on his dashcam, handed the video over to Makkasan Police Station as evidence. He then told media the assault happened near Bangkok’s entertainment area, RCA, around 1.10am Saturday.

He says the Chinese passenger, aged about 50, looked pretty drunk while the taxi driver looked angry.

The taxi was about to drive off after the fare had been paid but the Chinese man punched the car in anger. The taxi driver got out of his car, opened the trunk, pulled out an iron bar about 30 centimetres long, and beat the passenger.

Several bystanders tried to stop the driver but he still managed to strike the man on the head before leaving the scene.

The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Samran Boonma, yesterday says the police had investigated security cameras nearby and found that the taxi driver was a 44 year old man named Autsadawut.

The driver was invited to the police station yesterday to explain his actions. He confessed that he assaulted the Chinese man because he was angry the passenger hit his car.

The police revealed the driver was charged for assaulting others until the persons were injured.

The Chinese passenger was injured by the assault and was sent to a hospital for treatment. An update on his condition has not yet been reported.

On Saturday, a blogger, อยากดังเดี๋ยวจัดให้ รีเทริน์ part 2, posted a video on Facebook saying, “Why a taxi driver had to hit a passenger’s head like this? No matter what happens, you should report it to the police. Violence is not a solution.”

SOURCE: Dailynews | One 31 | Channel 7