Phuket police arrest foreigner caught drifting pickup in viral video
Driver faces charges amid confusion over nationality reported by Thai media
Police arrested a foreign driver, caught on a viral video drifting his pickup truck outside a convenience store in Phuket, and seized the vehicle.
The footage, showing a white pickup repeatedly drifting in the car park of a 7-Eleven store in the Bang Tao area, spread rapidly across Thai social media. Both the driver and passenger were reported to be foreigners, although their nationalities were not confirmed.
Thai netizens called on police to impose legal penalties on the driver, warning that the stunt posed a danger to other motorists and pedestrians. Some commenters argued that officers could not act unless the convenience store or car park owner filed a complaint.
Later, a foreign woman, believed to be Bulgarian, commented under the viral post admitting that the pickup belonged to her. She claimed that she and the driver were unaware that drifting was illegal in Thailand.
The woman apologised to the public and expressed her willingness to accept a fine or punishment. She also alleged that the person who recorded the video had encouraged them to continue drifting for the footage. She urged the cameraman to come forward and explain why the clip was posted online without their consent.
Yesterday, September 1, officers from Choeng Thale Police Station confirmed the arrest of the 28 year old pickup driver. He was charged under Section 43(4) of the Land Transport Act for reckless or dangerous driving, an offence punishable by a fine of 400 to 1,000 baht.
Reports of the driver’s nationality varied among local media outlets. The Newshawk Phuket Facebook page claimed he was Kazakh, while others identified him as Turkish or Uzbek.
Police also impounded the couple’s Isuzu D-Max as evidence. The exact fine imposed on the driver was not disclosed.
A similar case was reported in January last year, when a Lithuanian man was fined 12,000 baht for drifting his BMW on a road in Chon Buri.
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