Policeman suspended after kicking, stomping on 2 handcuffed teenagers
A police officer at Sam Phran station in the central province of Nakhon Pathom has been suspended after video footage emerged of him and another officer assaulting 2 teenagers. According to a Bangkok Post report, both victims were handcuffed at the time and the video footage shows they were on the ground.
Chaiyapoj Khotsamrarn, deputy crime suppression chief at Sam Phran station has been suspended pending an investigation into the incident. A video, posted on the Facebook page อยากดังเดี๋ยวจัดให้ รีเทิร์น part 2, allegedly shows him and his colleague, Phanadorn Changkhian, kicking the 2 teenagers, stomping on their heads, and using a belt to hit them. The footage is understood to be from April 30.
The chief of Nakon Pathom provincial police, Chomchawin Purathananon, says an internal investigation has been concluded, with the findings submitted to senior officers. The 2 officers involved in the assault are also facing criminal charges.
The Bangkok Post reports that the provincial police force has formed a panel to conduct a serious disciplinary investigation into Chaiyapoj, with the officer suspended in the interim. The fate of his colleague, Phanadorn, has not been confirmed.
According to the report, the assault took place in front of a housing estate in Sam Phran, with footage starting to circulate on social media last Friday. According to the Facebook post that accompanied the video, the victims had ridden a bike to get help from the 2 police officers, claiming they were being chased by a rival gang that planned to attack them.
On being searched by the officers, one of the teenagers was found to be carrying a gun, at which point, an officer can be seen stomping on the heads of both young men. The teenagers were subsequently charged with illegally possessing a weapon. However, it is the actions of the 2 police officers that have attracted all the criticism on social media, after footage of the incident went viral.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
