A man was killed when his motorcycle was hit by a car driven by a police officer who allegedly ran a red traffic light in Pattaya, Chon Buri in the early hours of Sunday.
The body of the man, identified later as Theera Promraksa, 42, was found lying face up in a pool of blood in the middle of Chaiyapruek intersection on Sukhumvit Road in tambon Nong Phreu of Bang Lamung district, said Pol Capt Thitiwat Boon-on, a duty officer at Pattaya police station, who was alerted at 2am on Sunday.
Police and rescue workers found the man’s motorcycle overturned on the road and a partly-damaged white Toyota car with a Chon Buri licence plate parked about 100 metres away.
The car driver, Pol Sr Sgt Maj Somyot Champahom, 50, an investigation officer attached to Chon Buri’s Muang district police station, said he and a policeman friend were returning from a party of classmates when the motorcycle suddenly cut in front of his car at the intersection. He hit the brakes hard, but failed to stop in time.
The officer insisted he had not driven through a red light and hit the motorcycle.
But Somchai Wongwan, 39, who witnessed the incident, told police that he saw the officer’s speeding car run the red traffic light and crash head-on with the motorcycle in the opposite lane. The impact of the crash catapulted the body off the bike and it hit the footpath, said Mr Somchai.
The officer was detained for an alcohol test before legal action was to be considered against him. Police will examine footage of closed circuit cameras to find out whether he had driven his car through the red traffic light as alleged.