Fighter pilot crash-lands tuk-tuk

KAMALA: An American fighter pilot who later told police he was bored of flying jets, “borrowed” a tuk-tuk in the early hours of May 22. His high-speed flying skills did not get him far, however; he crashed the tuk-tuk into a ditch and landed in a punch-up with the vehicle’s owner. Pol Capt Komdej Pohthong of Kathu Police Station told the Gazette that the pilot, whom he named as Patrick Kevin White, 30, was arrested for stealing the tuk-tuk but was released later after agreeing to pay the owner, Saneh Wattanaporn, for the damage he had done to the vehicle. “Both sides came to a compromise, whereby the farang agreed to pay for the damage,” said Capt Komdej. He said that White jumped into the tuk-tuk at 118/13 Moo 3, Tambon Kamala, and started driving toward Phuket FantaSea. K. Saneh jumped on a motorcycle and followed, only to find Mr White and the tuk-tuk in a ditch about 500 meters away. The two traded punches before White ran away. He was captured soon afterward by FantaSea security guards. White was taken to Patong Hospital where he received six stitches in his scalp and six more in his left shin. He also had numerous bruises from the fight and subsequent capture. Later, while being questioned by police, White produced an ID card showing him to be a US fighter pilot. He said that he had recently taken part in a military exercise in Nakhon Sri Thammarat. When asked why he took the tuk-tuk, White told police that he did not mean to steal it. Police say he admitted that he was drunk and thought it would be fun trying to drive a tuk-tuk, as he was “a bit tired of fighter jets”.