A disc jockey who has been shamed in public for road rage and lying about his actions turned himself in to Bangkok police on Saturday. But he continues to insist that the other driver in the incident was also to blame.
Pattarasak Thiemprasert, alias DJ Keng, reported to Din Daeng police on Saturday morning to give further statements about the incident.
The radio station DJ came under heavy criticism after video clips showing his black pickup truck reversing aggressively to hit a red Toyota Yaris three times went viral online. He also lied about the incident by claiming that the driver of the car had hit his vehicle.
Mr Pattarasak, who worked at a local radio station, also acts in some soap operas and works as an emcee. He was reportedly banned from the radio programme after the incident as Facebook users bombarded the station's Facebook page with negative comments.
Pol Lt Gen Sanit Mahathavorn, acting chief of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, was present at the station to interrogate him on Saturday.
After more than two hours of questioning, Mr Pattarasak appealed for justice. He said he and the driver of the Yaris were travelling on Mitmaitree Road on Friday and had taken turns to cut ahead each other.
The car driver then gave him the middle finger, prompting him to do the same in return, said Mr Pattarasak. The Yaris driver then got out and knocked the mirror of his vehicle, he said.
He insisted he had not started the incident and asked police to examine footage of closed-circuit television cameras.
He admitted that what he did was wrong and apologised to the public for his actions. He also appealed to his critics not to drag his school and his family in this incident.
He denied posing provocative messages on Facebook, saying it was not his Facebook account that posted them. He threatened to take action against those who created the fake Facebook page to discredit him.
He admitted that in a fit of anger, he had falsely accused the car driver of hitting his vehicle. He appealed to the public to give him a chance to turn over a new leaf.
Pol Lt Gen Sanit said he had ordered Din Daeng police to examine CCTV footage to get a better idea of what really happened.
Police initially seized Mr Pattarasak’s driving licence for 60 days and pressed charges of reckless driving and driving without due care for the safety of others. Authorities are investigating further before deciding whether to press additional charges, said the acting Bangkok police chief.
He promised to ensure justice to both sides.
Meanwhile, the Land Transport Department will also ask Mr Pattarasak to report to give its officials an account of the incident.
Department chief Sanit Promwong said on Saturday that the department would coordinate with police to examine evidence from the incident as Mr Pattarasak was accused of intentionally driving his pickup into the car and intimidating its driver. Section 54 of the Vehicles Act authorises officials to seize a violator's licence for up to one year if the person is found guilty.
Mr Sanit said a licence could be revoked in the case of a final court ruling or if a driver has been fined two or more times for traffic violations related to reckless driving.