SONGKHLA: A man and a woman escaped on foot after surviving driving through a police checkpoint, a road chase and a crash that tore their car in half in Hat Yai district late on Thursday night.
Their silver Honda Civic, registered in Songkhla, failed to stop when signalled at a checkpoint on Chote Wiriyakul Road near a bus terminal in Hat Yai municipality about 11pm.
Police set off in pursuit and about 5 kilometres down the road found the car wrecked in a ditch. It had apparently hit and knocked down a power pole on the median strip of the main highway in Muang Ba Phru municipality, and was broken in two.
Police did not see the driver or passenger, but found two ID cards in the vehicle - for Peerapong Khunpet, 36 of Songkhla, and Walaiporn Srisuwan, 23 of Nakhon Si Thammarat province - and an entry keycard and door key for room 414 at Chudchada Place apartment building in Hat Yai.
There were also traces of blood at the scene. Police found nothing illegal in the car, and assumed the couple had a friend pick them up at the crash scene.
Pol Col Kittichai Sangkhathaworn, chief of Hat Yai police, went to Chudchada Place but the owner did not allow police to search the room. He said the two people would be summonsed for questioning.