British man attacks Thai police in convenience store before being restrained

A video circulating online showed a British man attacked a Thai police officer inside a convenience store, before the officer and store staff restrained him.

The footage was posted by an X user, @JamesPGoddard90, yesterday, March 8, with the caption, “British tourist attacks a Thai police officer in 7-Eleven and instantly regrets it. It’s behaviour like this that gives all Brits abroad a bad name.”

In the video, the foreign man, reported to be a British national, forced the officer to the floor and punched him in the face. A second foreign man and several Thai convenience store workers gathered around and attempted to pull the pair apart.

A male store worker placed an arm around the foreign man’s neck, while other staff pulled at his arms and body. After the officer got back to his feet, he gripped the foreign man around his neck and pulled him down to the floor in a wrestling-style hold.

Foreigner attacks Thai police
Photo via X/ @JamesPGoddard90

The same store worker then moved towards the person filming and appeared to try to block the camera. The clip ended with the officer and the foreigner still struggling on the ground.

The original source of the footage was unclear, but it was reposted by foreign social media users and Thai news outlets. No official statement has been released detailing what led to the confrontation or how the incident was resolved.

Under Section 138 of Thailand’s Criminal Law, a person found guilty of using force to obstruct an official on duty can face up to two years in prison, a fine of up to 40,000 baht, or both.

The man could also face charges under Section 295, physical assault, which carries a penalty of up to two years in prison, a fine of up to 40,000 baht, or both.

Thai police assaulted by foreign man
Photo via X/ @JamesPGoddard90

In a similar case reported in January, a Thai police officer was strangled on a Bangkok road following a dispute with another motorist after the officer made a sudden stop to allow a foreign pedestrian to cross. No public update was provided on the prosecution in that case.

Another incident was reported in Phuket in September last year, when a naked foreign man attacked a traffic police officer who intervened after the man was seen walking naked in public. The suspect was arrested, but the punishment was not publicly clarified.

Crime NewsThailand News

Follow The Thaiger on Google News:

Petch Petpailin

Petpailin, or Petch, is a Thai translator and writer for The Thaiger who focuses on translating breakingThai news stories into English. With a background in field journalism, Petch brings several years of experience to the English News desk at The Thaiger. Before joining The Thaiger, Petch worked as a content writer for several known blogging sites in Bangkok, including Happio and The Smart Local. Her articles have been syndicated by many big publishers in Thailand and internationally, including the Daily Mail, The Sun and the Bangkok Post. She is a news writer who stops reading news on the weekends to spend more time cafe hopping and petting dwarf shrimp! But during office hours, you can find Petch on LinkedIn and you can reach her by email at petch@thethaiger.com.