VIDEO: Canadian man arrested for rollerblading on busy Bangkok road
A Canadian man has been arrested for rollerblading on Sukhumvit Road in Bangkok. Police tracked him down after a clip of him weaving in and out of the traffic circulated on social media over the weekend.
Police summoned 37 year old Jordan Joseph McIver to Lumpini Police Station yesterday to arrest him under suspicion of “obstructing a public road in a way that impedes the safety or ease of traffic by placing obstacles, abandoning items, or by another way.”
Comments soon came rolling in when the clip was posted online on Friday. While clearly a skilled rollerblader, the Canadian wasn’t wearing a helmet or any other protective equipment, which worried many netizens concerned for McIver’s safety.
People commented that Thailand’s dangerous roads are not suitable for rollerblading and he is sure to cause an accident and get seriously injured.
McIver told the police he was out exercising and “soaking up the atmosphere of Thailand” when the clip was filmed. He said he did not realise it was a criminal offence because he doesn’t know Thailand’s laws.
He promised not to do it again and accepts whatever penalty he is given according to the law.
Last month, a 24 year old English-Thai pro-wakeboarder was arrested under the same charges for “wake skating” through a flooded road in Bangkok (see clip). He was fined 5,000 baht and given a one-month suspended prison sentence.
