CHON BURI: A local administrator has offered a public apology after a defence volunteer under his supervision repeatedly assaulted an injured street racer on a hospital bed because the speeding motorcyclist had severely injured his colleague.
Pakasit Sueksongkhram, assistant chief of Muang district, expressed his regret to local reporters on Wednesday, 10 days after the incident.
A video clip posted online early last week showed a volunteer repeatedly punching the unidentified young motorcyclist at Burapha University Hospital after his colleagues closed the screen curtain around the bed. The video was taken from above the curtain.
Mr Pakasit said the defence volunteer was part of a team manning a checkpoint on a road bypassing downtown Chon Buri in tambon Saen Suk on Aug 18. The street racer had refused to stop and crashed into the defence volunteer's colleague, a close friend, knocking him down and breaking both his legs.
When he saw the motorcyclist at the hospital, he lost control of his feelings.
The injured volunteer was identified as Khwanchai Changlek, 57. He was admitted to Chon Buri Hospital.
Mr Pakasit said Mr Khwanchai was a hard worker and popular with his colleagues.
The street racer was also injured and admitted to Burapha University Hospital. The video clip reportedly came from a surveillance camera on the hospital wall.
Mr Pakasit apologised for the violence and promised to take responsibility for the volunteers, who were under his jurisdiction.
Pol Col Krisana Pattanacharoen, deputy spokesman of the Royal Thai Police Office, said on Wednesday that a policeman was on duty in the Burapha hospital ward at the time of the assault, but was standing outside the drawn curtain. He was assigned to handle the street racer.
Police were investigating the incident, he said.