UPDATE: Police charge Icelandic tourist after alleged theft from Phuket taxi driver
Police said a 37-year-old Icelandic man was charged after allegedly grabbing a female taxi driver’s handbag in Patong before bystanders helped her recover it.
Police have charged an Icelandic tourist with theft after he allegedly snatched a female taxi driver’s belongings in Patong, in a Phuket case that had previously drawn public attention, authorities said.
The incident was captured on in-car CCTV and the footage was widely shared on social media, according to the source material.
Police said the suspect was a 37-year-old Icelandic man identified as Mr. Johann. Patong Police said the woman told officers she had picked up a male European passenger at Patong Hospital and he asked to be taken to a hotel in Wichit.
While the vehicle was passing near Suwan Khiri Wong Temple in Patong, the passenger allegedly reached over and grabbed the driver’s handbag from the front seat, according to the complaint. The bag was said to contain a mobile phone, cash and personal documents.
The driver continued on until Soi Khuan Yang Charoen, where she stopped and tried to retrieve the bag, the source said. The suspect allegedly resisted and refused to return it. The woman then honked the horn to attract attention from bystanders, and with help from members of the public, the tourist eventually surrendered the handbag and fled, according to the source.
Earlier reporting said the incident caused a commotion during the journey and that a member of the public stepped in quickly to help.
Police later identified and detained the suspect and took him to Patong Police Station for questioning and further legal proceedings, according to the source material.
No further official details were provided in the source material, including the identities of the driver or bystanders, or additional circumstances surrounding the case beyond the charge, the Patong location and the CCTV footage.
