The incident began on Highway 4169, the main road around the southern tourist island, in front of the Isan Krok Yai restaurant in tambon Bo Phut on Thursday morning. At one point, he waved down an Isuzu SUV that was being used for airport transfers. The foreigner then climbed into the vehicle and sped off towards the Bo Phut intersection, while the driver managed to get up and cling to the door as the SUV accelerated away, shocking bystanders. Police from a nearby public service point pursued on a motorcycle, radioed ahead to colleagues in Bo Phut, and managed to stop the vehicle at the Bo Phut T-junction — about 3.5 kilometres from where the joyride started. The suspect was taken to the Bo Phut police station but was unable to give a coherent statement.

Source: Bangkok Post February 06, 2026 00:37 UTC