Two police officers face an investigation after a video showing one of them kicking two handcuffed teenagers, stomping on their heads and beating them went viral.
Police authorities in Nakhon Pathom ordered the officers transferred to inactive posts pending the outcome of an investigation. The incident occurred on April 30 but only came to light when the video surfaced on social media on Friday.
The chief of Nakhon Pathom police expressed regret over the incident.
The video of the incident was posted on the popular Facebook page Yak Dang Chat Diew Jadhai Return Part 3.
According to the message accompanying the video, the three teenagers travelling on a motorcycle had gone to seek help from the two police officers after their rivals gave chase with plans to attack.
“But it turned out that the three were handcuffed and forced to take off their shirts. Worse still, (one officer) stomped on the head of one of them, kicked and beat them with a belt. They were being treated not like humans. It’s humiliating,” the poster wrote.
The incident happened on April 30 in Sam Phran.
According to the Facebook posting, the three teens had gone to see their girlfriends in Sam Phran. Along the way, they met rivals who allegedly tried to assault them. They sped off, until they saw a police patrol pickup truck on the other side of the road. They went to seek help and tried to explain what happened. But the officers refused to listen and asked them to raise their arms, sit down and take off their shirts for a search.
The officers found one of them had a gun. One officer then used his foot to stomp on the heads of two of the young men. All three were handcuffed. The teens were taken in the pickup to Sam Phran police station. They were charged with illegal possession of a weapon.
The actions of the two officers drew criticism after the video showing the incident went viral.
Investigators will call the damaged parties in for questioning.
A video shows two police officers handcuffing three teenagers who rode a motorcycle to seek their help on a road in Nakhon Pathom. One of the officers is seen stomping on the heads of two teenagers. (Video: Yak Dang Diew Jadhai Return Part 2 Facebook page)
