Russian DJ arrested in Koh Pha Ngan for last year’s hit-and-run
Police arrested a Russian DJ at a rented room in Koh Pha Ngan, an island in the southern province of Surat Thani, for crashing an SUV into a motorcyclist last year.
A Thai motorcyclist, whose identity was not disclosed, was severely injured in an accident on Koh Pha Ngan on July 30 of last year. A white Toyota Fortuner SUV was seen crashing into the victim’s black Honda Click motorcycle. The SUV driver fled the scene and did not even stop to check on the victim.
The suspect was later identified as a 36 year old Russian man, Vigen Atoian. Atoian was a well-known DJ travelling to play music in many provinces across Thailand. He was also famous among Russian nationals as a DJ on the Telegram app.
Vigen left Koh Pha Ngan after the accident but he recently returned to the island for work. He was arrested four days after his arrival. Channel 7 reported that Vigen admitted to his actions and even smiled at officers from the Tourist Police Bureau during the arrest on Friday, July 5.
The Russian was charged with driving recklessly, causing serious injury to another person and damaging another person’s property. The penalty is imprisonment of up to three years, a fine of up to 60,000 baht, or both, according to Section 300 of the Criminal Law.
A similar accident happened in May when a Russian man, who was reported to be drunk, crashed his car into a motorcycle in Pattaya. A Thai woman was killed at the accident scene while a Thai man was seriously injured. The Russian suspect did not flee and waited for the police to arrive at the scene.
A related incident occurred in February when a Thai driver drove against the traffic flow and crashed into a pickup truck. The accident claimed the life of the pickup truck driver. The suspect was also admitted to hospital with minor injuries.
In the same month, a 12 year old boy was seriously injured in an accident caused by a drunk police officer in the Isaan province of Roi Et. The boy reportedly lost both arms in the accident.
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