AYUTTHAYA: A man rammed a car into his neighbour in front of his house on Saturday, killing him instantly, following a quarrel over a clothesline.
The incident occurred at the Krungsri City housing estate in tambon Khlong Suan Phlu of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya.
Police and forensic officials who were called to the scene found the body of the victim, with broken legs and arms and severe bruises, about 50 metres away from his house. Broken plant pots were found scattered over the area.
The victim was identified as Suphan Yatbanthung, 57, a senior civil engineer with the Department of Rural Roads.
Video from a closed-circuit camera in the soi showed Suphan cleaning the area and watering plants in front of his house. A man, identified later as Paiboon Sangsarn, 56, who lived next door, walked out of his house and spoke to Suphan before walking toward a car parked opposite his house.
Mr Paiboon drove the car toward a clothesline that extended into the soi and almost hit it. He then drove away to pick up two boys, after which he suddenly accelerated and ran over Suphan before speeding off with the boys still inside the car.
A sickening video showing the incident was posted to Facebook and has been widely shared. The Bangkok Post has opted not to show it.
Police later found the car abandoned at a football filed, about three kilometres away from the scene of the incident.
Pankamol Rassamee, 44, the wife of the victim, said she was cooking inside the house when she heard a loud crash. She rushed out to check and found her husband lying unconscious on the pavement.
She said she believed the driver intended to ram the car into her husband.
Her family had lived in the housing estate for 8 years and had no conflict with anyone, said Ms Pankamol. Her husband was supervising a road project in Chiang Mai and was away from home most of the time, she said.
An initial police investigation found that Mr Paiboon, a hired motorcycle taxi driver, had quarreled with Suphan over the clothesline that the latter had put up in front of the house.
The car used in the incident belonged to a neighbour, who had hired Mr Paiboon take the two boys to the football field.
Police are still looking for the suspect.