16 year old app-based rider fatally stabbed after road dispute
Police arrested a Bolt motorcycle taxi rider after he fatally stabbed a 16 year old fellow app-based rider following a motorcycle collision in Bangkok on the night of Saturday, December 20.
The suspect was arrested at a house in Samut Prakan province yesterday, December 21. He was later identified as 44 year old Thongchai, who also worked as a motorcycle taxi rider on the Bolt application.
Footage of the fatal stabbing was widely shared on social media after the incident. The video showed a man wearing a white T-shirt and another man in a dark blue jacket arguing and physically fighting in the middle of the road. A food delivery rider wearing a LINE Man jacket was seen stepping in and attempting to separate the two men.
Despite the intervention, the man in the white T-shirt suddenly pulled out a knife and repeatedly stabbed the other rider before fleeing the scene on his motorcycle.
The victim was later identified as 16 year old Witthawat. He was found with multiple stab wounds to his shoulder and chest and was pronounced dead at the scene. The bloodstained knife used in the attack was left behind near the entrance to Soi Saimai 74 in the Sai Mai district of Bangkok.
According to witnesses who spoke to officers from Sai Mai Police Station, the altercation began after a motorcycle collision between the two riders. Thongchai allegedly chased Witthawat from the original crash site to the location where the stabbing occurred. What began as a heated argument escalated into a physical fight and then turned fatal.
Police tracked down and arrested Thongchai at his home in the Bang Phli Noi sub-district, Bang Bo district, Samut Prakan. During the arrest, officers seized clothes believed to have been worn during the incident, bloodstained trainers, and a white Honda Wave motorcycle as evidence.
At around 6.30pm, police escorted the suspect for questioning. While being taken from the police vehicle, Thongchai was questioned by reporters about the motive behind the attack. He responded:
“Everything happened so fast. I didn’t know the victim was just a child. It came from a misunderstanding. I should have thought before acting. To be honest, I feel very sorry.”
Police said Thongchai would be handed over to investigators to formally acknowledge all charges. He will then be remanded in custody at the Min Buri Criminal Court as legal proceedings continue.
According to Workpoint News, the suspect faces two serious charges: intentional murder and carrying a knife in a public place without a valid reason.
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