The owner of a car at the centre of a row that culminated in the brutal bashing of a security guard at Ramkhamhaeng University surrendered to police on Wednesday night and was held in custody.
Pictures taken by witnesses show a car park security guard being beaten by a group of students at Ramkhamhaeng University on Wednesday. They were posted on Facebook. The poster asked people to spread the pictures.
Panjapol Tuenpakdi, 23, a junior student enrolled in the business administration faculty of Ramkhamhaeng University, turned himself in at Hua Mak police station, answering a warrant issued after the attack on Thawichart Soimas, 52, a car park guard at the university.
He admitted to owning the car shown in images widely circulated on the internet and described as the centre of a row over parking in a prohibited area. After the row Mr Thawichart took photos of the car and its licence plate. He went to have lunch in a cafetaria, where he was attacked by seven young men.
The guard ran for his life but was cornered and brutally assaulted by the students.
People who witnessed the attack said the students used wooden sticks and beat him savagely.
Mr Panjapol refused to give police a statement, saying he would testify in court. He was refused police bail.
Mr Thawichart is still in hospital with serious head and facial injuries, a broken right leg and severe bruising to his body.
The Kom Chad Luek newspaper reported that Mr Panjapol said he parked the car in a restricted area and was approached by the security guard, who was impolite, so they argued.
He said the guard banged the car so they fought and later separated.
Mr Panjapol said he went to class.
After he left class and returned to the car park, the security guard approached and started to argue with him again. The guard ran to pick up a hatchet and then hit him on the arm with it, Mr Panjapol alleged.
His friends then came to help him, and the images posted on the internet proved that, he said.
Mr Panjapol said he wanted the university to examine pictures taken by surveillance cameras on campus, to check the facts.