Bangkok hitchhiker’s fury: Helmet-wielding road rage riles driver

An angry Thai hitchhiker refused to apologise after scaring a Thai woman and smashing her car with a motorcycle helmet on an expressway in Bangkok on March 9, saying the victim was unhelpful by refusing to give him a ride.

The victim, Panhathai Buranaprasoetkun, recounted the incident and shared dashcam footage on Facebook to warn other women travelling alone. Panhathai said the incident happened at around 1.30pm on March 3 near the entrance to an expressway on Rama III Road in Bangkok.

In the video, the Thai man, whose identity remains undisclosed, was walking on the shoulder of the road before turning around and walking into the outside lane of the road to block Panhathai’s car. He walked straight to the car, banged on window, and shouted at her.

“Can you drop me ahead? Can I go with you? Can you just drop me ahead!”

The man’s shouts grew louder as he pounded the car more forcefully, frustrated by Panhathai’s lack of response. In a subsequent post, Panhathai disclosed that he hadn’t struck the car with his fist, he had wielded a motorcycle helmet to shatter her car window.

According to Panhathai, the man also attempted to unlock the car door, but finding it locked didn’t deter him. He persisted, yanking on the handle with greater force in an attempt to gain entry.

Feeling frightened, Panhathai swiftly drove away from the scene before alerting the Highway Police to the incident.

Panhathai said she later filed a complaint at Thung Mahamek Police Station and shared the story with the public to warn other motorists, especially women, to lock their car doors before travelling.

Panhathai’s followers and friends agreed that the man had no intention of accepting a ride and harboured ulterior motives. Positioned near the expressway office and toll booths, he stood in a location conducive to swiftly exiting the expressway area to hail a taxi or seek assistance from authorities.

No apologies

Thung Mahamek Police Station officers managed to arrest the man yesterday, March 11. Police reported that the man later took a taxi from the scene to Soi Ramkamhaeng 81 but officers are still checking the security cameras to determine how he entered the expressway and what was his intention.

During the three-hour interrogation, the man claimed he got lost and ended up on the expressway. He wanted to get off the expressway and hitchhiked but no one would offer him a ride. He hit the woman’s car with his helmet because he was angry. He insisted that he did not want to apologise to her because she was unhelpful.

Panhathai told the media in an interview at the police station today that she did not pick him up because of safety concerns as she was travelling alone at the time. She said she was not being unhelpful but it was her right to decide whether to help or not.

Panhathai thought the man had a mental illness and would forgive him if he was suffering from the problem.

Thung Mahamek Police Station Superintendent, Panom Chueathong, disclosed that officers were trying to contact the man’s family to see if he had a history of mental health treatment or not. Panom said the man sometimes acted aggressively during questioning and believed the man had difficulty controlling his emotions.

The man initially faced two charges including:

• Section 358 of the Criminal Law: damaging the property of another person. The penalty is imprisonment of up to three years, a fine of up to 60,000 baht, or both.
• Section 392 of the Criminal Law: threatening or scaring another person. The penalty is imprisonment of up to one month, a fine of up to 10,000 baht, or both.