A Si Racha man was arrested after taking authorities on a wild chase through Pattaya Wednesday night that saw three cars smashed and two tourists injured, police said.
The pursuit began around 11pm last night when a pickup truck carrying three men refused to stop at a urine-test checkpoint set up by police and soldiers on a southern soi in the Chon Buri district city.
Officers followed the pickup with a Sa Kaeo licence plate to the Pattaya provincial court where the driver again blew through a police checkpoint and slammed into a police petrol vehicle and another parked nearby. But the truck still did not stop.
The speeding vehicle continued into Sattahip district, hitting two Russian tourists walking in front of Ambassador Hotel on Sukhumvit Road before being crashing into a sedan at a U-turn in front of Sattahip Technical College in tambon Na Jomtien. The two tourists were injured and rushed to a hospital.
Truck driver Adithep Thongleum, 36, was caught, but the two other passengers managed to escape. More than 100 police and volunteers were hunting down the runaways.
Mr Adithep allegedly claimed he had gone to Pattaya to look for his car, which someone had borrowed from his house in Si Racha. His two friends accompanied him, he told police. He also claimed he wanted to stop at the first checkpoint, but his cohorts asked him to speed past.
The man was held in police custody while awaiting formal charges.