Patong Police arrest 5 over fight involving foreign motorbike racers
UPDATE
Patong Police have arrested five people in connection with the recent fight involving foreign motorbike racers on Bangla Road earlier this week. Police said they used CCTV footage to hunt down two Swedish nationals and three Thais.
One of the men arrested admitted that he got involved in the fight after he warned a group of foreign motorbike racers that they weren’t allowed to ride on Bangla Road except with permission from law enforcement officers.
The man said the angry racers verbally insulted the Thai men with bad language, which led to the physical fight, The Phuket Express reported.
Police say the five suspects are facing charges of bodily and mental harm and fighting in public. They said both parties apologised and shook hands.
The suspects will be taken to Phuket Kwaeng Court today for further legal proceedings.
ORIGINAL STORY
Patong is once again having drama with foreign motorbike racers.
On Wednesday night, a video of a fight involving foreign motorbike racers on Bangla Road went viral. The racers were reportedly causing a disturbance. Residents and police tried to warn the racers to stop, but they didn’t listen.
The racers then allegedly pushed residents before the residents got angrier and the fight started, The Phuket Express reported.
A post by the Facebook page Phuket Times says a security guard assaulted a racer after the racers went on a rampage.
Patong Police arrived at the scene and managed to stop the fight, although most of those involved had fled. According to locals who spoke to the Thai press, the motorbike racers were French. The investigation by the Patong Police is ongoing.
This news comes after cops busted a large group of French motorbike racers in Patong last week on Wednesday night. Residents complained that the racers were disturbing them when they were trying to relax, and potentially posing a threat to the safety of the people. Most of the riders were not wearing the required protective motorcycle helmets as per Thai law, the residents added.
These are not the first times that motorbike racing tourists have made a scene in Thailand.
Between June and August last year, Middle Eastern joyriders turned several roads in Pattaya into racing tracks. The racers got in the way of Pattaya locals and other drivers near Second Pattaya Road, racing each other up and down Soi 18 at night time. A video shared on social media shows a large group of bikers zooming through the area.
One young Kuwaiti man who had allegedly been motorbike racing in Pattaya ended up losing his middle finger when he crashed.
On August 22, Pattaya police arrested 16 Middle Eastern joyriders and seized 43 motorcycles.
