A minivan driver in Phuket has been charged after threatening a taxi driver with a knife. The Phuket Express reports that the incident happened on Saturday, April 27, while both vehicles were stopped at traffic lights at the Darasamut Intersection (adjacent to Central Festival and Central Floresta).
It’s understood the minivan driver turned himself in after footage of the incident went viral on social media. He has been named only as 57 year old Mr Thanong. In the viral video, he can be seen getting out of his minivan, approaching the taxi, and speaking to the driver while brandishing a knife.
Wichit Police Chief Chatree Choowichean says the authorities tracked down and contacted Mr Thanong after the video went viral and the driver then surrendered at Wichit Police Station. There he submitted to alcohol breath and urine tests, with negative results from both.
According to the report, Thanong told officers that the altercation started when he honked at the taxi for driving too slowly in the right-hand lane. Both drivers then had a heated exchange. It’s understood there were no passengers in either vehicle at the time.
Thanong has been charged with carrying a weapon in public without a valid reason and threatening another person.
SOURCE: The Phuket Express
