KHON KAEN: A son of a local businessman has been arrested in Muang district for attacking three luxury cars, but he denied the charges.
Khomsan Direkrit, 35, was apprehended at a house in Khon Kaen’s Muang district on Tuesday after three car owners filed a complaint against him for allegedly using a hard object to hit their vehicles.
A man suspected of attacking luxury cars is arrested at a home in Khon Kaen on Tuesday. (Phot by Chakkrapan Natanri
A Range Rover was one of three vehicles damaged by being struck with a bicycle handlebar. (Photo by Chakkrapan Natanri)
The case does not appear to be an "angry auntie"-inspired example of parking rage, since the cars did not seem to be obstructing any driveways. In another recent incident, a man was charged after dumping ashes onto the bonnet of a pickup truck blocking his driveway in Hat Yai. Mr Khomsan gave conflicting statements after his arrest. He denied all charges, but reportedly said he was high on marijuana.
Pol Lt Col Norawat Khampiro, deputy superintendent at Muang police station, said police investigators tracked down the suspect after closed-circuit television footage captured a man using a hard object to strike luxury vehicles parked in the municipal area on three different dates. On each occasion, the attacker arrived in a white Isuzu MU-7 car and left without stealing anything from the vehicles.
“The suspect carried out the attacks in full view of other motorists. He showed no fear, and just calmly walked back to his car and drove away," said Pol Lt Col Norawat.
"The investigation found he had carried out similar attacks three times. The first attack was on a yellow Mini Cooper on Feb 22. Then a red Range Rover was attacked. The latest attack occurred on March 3, when a grey Mercedes Benz was hit. The car owners all filed complaints with police.’’
Following his arrest, Mr Khomsan was taken to Provincial Region Police 4 headquarters, where the commander, Pol Lt Gen Surachai Khuandechakupt, gave a press conference. He said the suspect had hit the vehicles with a BMX bicycle handlebar, which police seized along with marijuana, a bamboo pipe. clothes worn during the attacks and the Isuzu MU-7 vehicle.
The BMX bicycle handlebar suspected of being used to attack luxury vehicles in Khon Kaen is pictured next to a bamboo marijuana pipe and clothing belonging to the suspect.
He has been charged with causing damage to other people’s property and having illicit drugs of category 5 in his possession. Witnesses and relatives of the suspect confirmed Mr Khomsan as the attacker, said the police commander.
The suspect is a son of a well-known businessman in Khon Kaen and the car he was seen driving away in belonged to a relative, said the deputy superintendent.
The man denied all charges, but police said they had sufficient evidence to prosecute him. He was held in custody at Muang police station.
The man suspected of attacking luxury vehicles in Khon Kaen (Photo by Chakkrapan Natanri)