Workers brawl in Patong
Patong Police have confirmed taking legal action against construction workers involved in a brawl with weapons at Loma Circle, at the northern end of Patong, last week.
Patong Police were informed of the incident at about 7:30pm on Mar 19, and officers soon arrived at the scene.
About 10 people in total were involved in the incident. One man was rushed to Patong Hospital with a serious head injury, Patong Police noted in their report.
Both groups involved in the brawl worked for the same employer. However, there had been ongoing arguments over injuries at work.
The two groups were both travelling towards the roundabout in separate vehicles, shouting at each other. By the time they reached the roundabout, tempers had boiled over and one vehicle collided with the other.
At that point, members of both groups exited their vehicles and the brawl ensued, with some of the workers using weapons to physically attack each other, police said.
In one video of the incident posted online, a man can be seen walking away from the brawl carrying a tyre iron.
All 10 were taken to Patong Police Station where they were to face legal action, Patong Police reported.
No names of those charged were reported by police, and the specific charges levied by police were also not mentioned in the police report.
TAXI RAGE
With tempers running high, an Egyptian tourist was taken into protective custody at hospital after he smashed the windows of a taxi in an episode of rage in Bang Tao last Friday night (Mar 22).
Pol Lt Col Kajonkiat Khamwichairat, Deputy Chief of Cherng Talay Police, was informed of the incident at 10:30pm.
Patrol officers arrived to find the damaged taxi and its driver, Suriya Plodmai, 53, and the Egyptian man, identified as Basem Aly Ismail, 31, still at the scene.
Mr Suriya told police that he picked up Mr Basem from the Patong area and was dropping him off in Bang Tao for the agreed price of B450.
After arriving at the scene, Mr Basem asked to borrow Mr Suriya’s mobile phone so he could call a friend, but after using it, Mr Basem refused to return the mobile phone, Mr Suriya said.
Mr Basem slammed the phone down onto another mobile phone that Mr Suriya was holding, causing both phones, a Xiaomi 12 and a Samsung A54, to be broken.
After that, Mr Basem went into a fit of rage and used an iron rod to smash the car, Mr Suriya told police.
The car suffered a broken windshield, several broken windows and a broken rear windshield, with damage to the surrounding areas.
Rescue workers from Cherng Talay Municipality took Mr Basem, who was described as still in a “fit of frenzy”, to Thalang Hospital. From there, Mr Basen was transferred to Vachira Phuket Hospital in Phuket Town.
Police said they were continuing their investigation with the intent of pressing charges against Mr Basem.