A 36 year old Thai man was reportedly identified by police in South Korea after an electric scooter collided with a nine year old girl’s bicycle in Gwangju, with the rider allegedly leaving the scene before later being detained on a separate drug charge.
The incident reportedly happened at about 4.30pm on September 23 near Exit 4 of Dosan Station in Gwangsan District. The girl was riding her bicycle when an electric scooter carrying a man and a woman allegedly collided with her.
The girl reportedly suffered serious injuries to her mouth. One tooth was knocked out, and another was pushed into the gum, requiring surgery. Doctors reportedly said she could lose three more adult teeth.
According to the Facebook page World Forum ข่าวสารต่างประเทศ, which said it gathered information from South Korean media reports, the scooter rider and his companion allegedly left without stopping to assist the girl.
The area reportedly had limited camera coverage, prompting the girl’s father to post about the incident on an online community in an attempt to identify the pair. The father reportedly described the scooter as purple with a smiley sticker.
Gwangsan police later identified the rider as a 36 year old Thai man, according to the page. When officers went to locate him, he was already being detained at Mokpo Police Station.
Police had reportedly arrested the man at his home in Pyeong-dong, Gwangju, on September 28 on a drug-related charge. The report said the court ordered his detention on October 1.
The Thai man initially denied involvement in the alleged hit-and-run during police questioning, according to the report, but later confessed. He was also reportedly found to have overstayed his visa and to have been riding the scooter without a licence.
The man reportedly told police that he left the scene because he was worried about being caught for other legal offences.
The woman who was travelling with him at the time of the incident reportedly contacted police and planned to surrender to officers.
The case has generated disagreement among Thai online users, particularly those living in South Korea. Some disputed the Facebook page’s account, claiming that the Thai man did not collide with the girl and stopped to help her.
The Facebook page responded that its report was based on credible and major South Korean media outlets and asked those disputing the account to provide official documents or other credible sources supporting their version.
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The story Thai man held for hit-and-run, drug, and overstaying in South Korea as seen on Thaiger News.