Thailand's most famous jet fighter pilot Gp Capt Rawin "Hollywood" Thanomsingha was detained in a Saturday night New York City prostitution sting but says it was a misunderstanding.
Gp Capt Rawin, a member of the air force's Directorate of Operations and currently a military attache assigned to the Royal Thai Embassy in Washington, was detained only briefly and released when he proved his diplomatic immunity, according to New York police reports.
After the New York Post newspaper posted a description of his arrest, Gp Capt Rawin Thanomsingha explained the incident in a phone call to Air Force Commander ACM Johm Rungswang, said AVM Pongsak Semachai, spokesman for the Royal Thai Air Force.
AVM Pongsak quoted Gp Capt Rawin as telling ACM Johm that the media report of his arrest was "untrue" and "incorrect".
Gp Capt Rawin also said he had spoken to his immediate supervisor at the Royal Thai Embassy to the US, and would submit a written report about the incident.
In his version, Gp Capt Rawin said that he was at a function at the Marriott on Lexington Avenue in midtown Manhattan, when he went outside for a smoke break.
He said he was approached by a Spanish-speaking woman who attempted to converse with him.
While he was trying, without success, to communicate with the woman, a number of police officers detained him. After he explained to them that it was a misunderstanding, they released him, said AVM Pongsak.
Gp Capt Rawin is an air force attache based in Washington, DC. He used to be the country's top F16 pilot before being transferred to the air force's Directorate of Operations.
The nickname "Hollywood" is actually Gp Capt Rawin's Air Force call sign while flying. He is one of the country's most experienced military pilots ever, with thousands of hours in various fighter jets, chiefly the F-16 and the F-5.
The combat pilot gained international fame of a different sort in January of 2016, when he became the first pilot to roll his F-16 Falcon Viper jet fighter with the wheels down.
The so-called "impossible" feat took place over Korat Air Base. It was widely written up in military publications as well as some specialised mass media including Popular Mechanics magazine.
Below is video taken from YouTube showing Gp Captain Rawin flying a solo demonstration in an F-16 during an air show on Children's Day in January of 2015. The clip is from YouTube's Skywalker Team 1997 channel. (Story continues below)
According to the press report, Gp Capt Rawin was detained at the Marriott in midtown Manhattan, the main borough of New York City, shortly before midnight on Saturday, New York time.
The New York Post report published Sunday said Gp Capt Rawin "was arrested for patronising a prostitute late Saturday [New York time] - and promptly released because he has diplomatic immunity, according to police."
The report says the attache "was released shortly after midnight Sunday [morning] - once officials confirmed his diplomatic immunity, according to cops."
The paper said that police in the Manhattan South precinct of New York City have been on a hotel crackdown against prostitution, even posting fake adverts for prostitutes and arresting "Johns" when they show up for dates with the non-existing women.