The police said this morning that an officer was “forced” to hit a protester at high speed because he had been attacked.
In response to the latest episode of police brutality, a clip of a police truck barreling through a pedestrian, the Bangkok Metropolitan Police Bureau said the vehicle had been attacked by protesters who struck it with a stick several times.
The vehicle belonged to Plubplachai 1 Police Station and was driven by a sergeant only identified as Sgt. Noraset. Noraset told his superiors his vehicle was attacked by upward of seven protesters who used a stick to strike it. Fearing for his safety, the police said, Noraset drove away.
In footage of the incident, no one appears to be in pursuit of the vehicle when it slams into the unidentified pedestrian in Din Daeng intersection and drives off without stopping.
Plubplachai Police said they will “assess” damage to the truck and prosecute the protesters responsible.
The protester who was run over was taken to Rajavithi Hospital. The victim was said to be conscious and his injuries not life-threatening. #MurderousRiotPolice has been trending on Thai Twitter since last night.
The video, originally shared by online news outlet The Reporters, has been widely shared amid increasing anger due to more frequent and severe police violence against pro-democracy protesters.
NEWSCLIP: เวลา 23:55 น. ผู้สื่อข่าว The Reporters บันทึกภาพเหตุการณ์ มีรถยนต์ควบคุมผู้ต้องหาชนผู้ชุมนุมบริเวณแยกดินแดง มีผู้บาดเจ็บ 1 ราย เบื้องต้นยังมีสติ ได้รับบาดเจ็บที่คางและลำตัว อยู่ระหว่างการปฐมพยาบาลและนำตัวไปรักษาที่โรงพยาบาลราชวิถี#TheReporters #เดอะรีพอร์ตเตอร์ pic.twitter.com/y7OWAQVYfw
— The Reporters (@thereportersth) September 12, 2021
