A car driving instructor, who fled right after a crash which killed a highway policeman in Pathum Thani on Thursday evening, surrendered to police later that night.
The crash happened at a bridge across Lam Luk Ka intersection on Kanchanaphisek road in tambon Bueng Kham Phroy of Lam Luk Ka district around 6.30pm.
Kittirat Ranprasit, 36, the driver of a black Toyota Vios involved in the fatal crash, reported to Pol Col Wanchana Thip-ard, superintendent of Highway Police Sub-division 8, about two hours later.
Mr Kittirat told police that he sped off during a chase because there were a bottle of beer and an e-cigarette inside his vehicle.
Police and rescue workers rushing to the scene found Pol Sgt Setthakarn Loykhampom, attached to Highway Police Sub-division 8, was lying dead, face-up with serious head wounds.
A badly damaged police motorcycle was about 100 metres away from the officer, and the black Toyota Vios with Bangkok licence plates was nearby with an extensive damage to its front left side. An opened bottle of beer was found inside the car, but the driver was not found.
Highways employees told police that they heard a sound of a collision while they were working near the crash scene. They came to check and found the damaged car and one police officer lying dead. They immediately alerted police.
Witnesses told police that they saw the police motorcycle giving chase to the black car. When reaching the scene, the car hit the police bike, which fell to the ground. The car then hit concrete barriers, causing it to stop there. The driver, in a black T-shirt, was seen getting out of the car and fleeing down Lam Luk Ka road, according to the witnesses.
When reporting to police, Mr Kittirat, car driving instructor, looked stressed. He was taken for alcohol testing and an urine tests to find traces of narcotic substance use.
During the questioning, he told investigators that he parked his car along a motorway to fish at a nearby swamp. At the time, the highway police officer arrived and asked him not to park his car in this non-parking area.
When the officer tried to search his car, Mr Kittirat said he tried to flee because there was a bottle of beer and an e-cigarette inside his vehicle, and he was afraid of being arrested at the time.
As the officer gave him a chase, the driver said he was frightened and sped off, causing his car to hit the officer.
Around 1.20am on Friday, Mr Kittirat was later taken to Lam Luk Ka police station for further questioning. While being taken out from the interrogation room at the Highway Police Division office, angry friends of the dead officer came in an attempt to assault him. Police immediately intervened before taking him to a vehicle to Lam Luk Ka police station.
Police initially charged him with murdering the officer on duty and were further investigating before pressing other charges.
Media reports that Pol Sgt Setthakarn had won praise from many people for his good deeds. He had helped an air passenger not to miss a flight during heavy rain, changing car tyres for motorists and helping a stray dog running among cars on a motorway.
His fellow police were shocked and saddened by his death. He was about to tie the knot before his life ended in Thursday's crash.
