The Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB) has vowed that justice will prevail in a physical assault case involving seven traffic police officers and the son of a retired policeman in Bangkok on Wednesday night.
The bureau would conduct a fair and thorough investigation into the seven officers accused of assaulting Thananop Koedsri, 33, said deputy commissioner Noppasin Poonsawat.
According to Pol Maj Gen Noppasin, the officers violently subdued Mr Thananop during a traffic stop in Bang Khen district at around 2am Wednesday, believing he had fled an alcohol checkpoint five minutes earlier.
The officers, travelling in police trucks and on motorcycles, chased him along Prasert Manukit Road before demanding he pull over and exit the car.
Mr Thananop refused. The police then used force to pull him out and finally handcuffed him.
The use of force reportedly injured his head and eyes. He was taken to Vibhavadi Hospital.
Pol Maj Gen Noppasin said a disciplinary committee had found evidence that the seven officers had committed an assault.
They also confessed, he said, and would initially face a physical assault charge.
Other charges, including those related to a violation of the Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearance Act, could follow a further investigation into the incident, he added.
He said the officers claimed Mr Thananop’s car matched the description of a vehicle driven by an intoxicated driver who had fled a checkpoint five minutes earlier.
Pol Maj Gen Noppasin said the incident was the result of police error.
Mr Thananop’s father, Pol Lt Col Thanachai Koedsri, 60, a retired officer, demanded the investigation strictly follow legal procedures.