A police officer in Phitsanulok turned himself in yesterday, September 6, after crashing his SUV into a motorcycle, killing a 16 year old boy and injuring two others on September 2.
The fatal crash happened on Singhawat Road in Mueang district, Phitsanulok province, while the teenager was riding his motorcycle home after working a part-time job. He died at the scene, while two other people were injured.
The vehicle involved was a white Toyota Fortuner. The driver fled without stopping to check on the victims, leaving a grey bumper and a licence plate at the scene.
Officers from Mueang Phitsanulok Police Station checked the registration plate and found it was registered to a black Honda Jazz, not the Toyota Fortuner involved in the crash. Police suspected that the SUV was using a counterfeit registration plate.
Officers reviewed CCTV footage from cameras along the road and in nearby areas and found that the SUV had left an entertainment venue before the crash. Police identified the driver as a 53 year old police lieutenant colonel.
The officer surrendered himself at Mueang Phitsanulok Police Station yesterday. Police said he confessed to the wrongdoing, expressed remorse and promised to compensate the victim’s family fully.
Police said the officer would not receive special protection because he was a fellow police officer and that the investigation would be conducted according to normal procedures.
Police initially filed two charges against the officer: reckless driving causing death and injury, and fleeing the scene without rendering assistance.
The suspected use of a false licence plate remains under investigation. Police said the accused officer claimed he did not intend to use a fake plate and had bought the Toyota Fortuner secondhand.
The victim’s family and members of the public questioned whether the five day gap between the crash and the officer’s surrender could affect alcohol and drug testing or other parts of the investigation.
Police said blood, DNA and urine tests would still be conducted as usual. Officers added that even if later testing does not detect alcohol, investigators can use circumstantial evidence, CCTV footage, travel routes and witness testimony as part of their assessment.
The story Phitsanulok police officer surrenders after hit-and-run death as seen on Thaiger News.
