The Royal Thai Highway Police will press charges against Smitthiphat Leenawarat, the son of a prominent Pathum Thani politician, following a traffic incident.
The case involves a collision between Mr Smitthiphat's BMW and a pickup truck driven by 65-year-old Prachak Duangyai. His wife, Somsri, 64, was a passenger in the vehicle. Both sustained injuries in the crash, with Mr Prachak currently in intensive care.
The incident occurred on Bangkok's eastern outer ring road in Pathum Thani province on Wednesday morning.
Pol Col Kuekkong Disawat, commander of Highway Police Division 8, said the case is being pursued in two parts. The first concerns reckless driving and property damage, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Royal Thai Highway Police. Investigators are preparing to charge both drivers under the Traffic Act, with potential fines of up to 4,000 baht.
In addition to the reckless driving charge, Mr Smitthiphat will face an additional charge for driving without a valid licence, as his licence expired in June 2021. Investigations are also examining the speed at which he approached the M-Flow toll booth, particularly relevant during the Songkran holiday period, when tolls were waived.
Pol Col Kuekkong said that blood alcohol tests conducted two hours after the incident showed no trace of alcohol in his system.
He also addressed public concern over the red number plate on Mr Smitthiphat's BMW. Preliminary checks revealed inconsistencies with the vehicle's registration. The Department of Land Transport will probe the matter further.
If fraud is confirmed, the car and various documents will be handed over to Lam Luk Ka police for a possible document forgery case.
The second part of the case involves the serious nature of the collision, which resulted in significant injuries to the elderly driver.
Lam Luk Ka police are determining whether the act constitutes reckless driving or was intended to cause harm. Officers are collecting evidence from witnesses and CCTV footage.
The woman passenger has already given a statement, but Mr Prachak remains in critical condition and is unable to speak at this time.
Pol Col Thiradet Chanlad of Lam Luk Ka police assured the public the investigation would proceed impartially, despite Mr Smitthiphat's family connections to influential local and national politicians.
He is the younger brother of a Pheu Thai MP representing Pathum Thani and the son of a former mayor of the Thanyaburi subdistrict municipality.