Australian arrested after checkpoint crash injures policeman in Phuket
An Australian man was arrested in Patong after a car crashed into a police checkpoint being set up in Kamala, injuring a police sergeant, Phuket police said.
An Australian man was arrested after a car crashed into a police checkpoint setup in Phuket early on Tuesday, injuring a Kamala police officer, according to Phuket Provincial Police.
The incident occurred at 1:07am as officers from Kamala Police Station were preparing to set up a checkpoint at the Naka Police Box.
Police said a white Toyota Yaris Ativ with Phuket licence plates was travelling from Kamala toward Patong when it hit the checkpoint at high speed. The impact sent the checkpoint sign flying across the road, where it struck Pol Sgt Anuchit Chaowcharoen, a squad leader with Kamala Police Station, who was standing behind it while preparing the checkpoint.
Police said the driver abandoned the vehicle after the crash and fled the scene on a motorcycle. Officers then launched a pursuit and arrested the suspect in the Patong area.
Police identified the man as Petrotos Kosta, an Australian national. He was taken to Kamala Police Station for legal proceedings.
Police did not say whether Kosta was tested for alcohol or other substances.
