Taxi driver fined Bt1,000 for slingshot damage to actor’s Porsche
A Bangkok taxi driver who fired a slingshot and damaged actor Mario Maurer’s Porsche after a traffic dispute, was fined Bt1,000 and had his licence suspended for one month on Tuesday.
Cabbie Udon Sitthipol, 37, refused to talk with reporters on Tuesday after meeting with police to hear the charge and pay the fine.
It was reported that the 29-year-old actor and the cab driver were cutting each other off on New Phetburi Road on Monday. Udon fired a stone from a slingshot that smashed Maurer’s side window near Pratunam Intersection and a roadside argument ensued.
The actor may still face charges following the incident. Maurer’s manager said the actor was busy and would report to police later to hear charges.
Meanwhile, Sukree Jaruphum, the director of the Lad Transport Department’s Inspection Division, said he had summoned Udon to testify about the incident. Udon had confessed to wrongdoing so the department suspended his driver’s licence for a month and required him to undergo a three-hour driver training session.
Phaya Thai precinct superintendent Pol Colonel Nitiwat Sansing told reporters that Udon was also facing a charge of property damage when the two men were taken to the precinct on Monday, but Maurer declined to file a police complaint.
He said the actor, who did not demand compensation for the broken window, understood the cabbie’s action was from impulse in the heat of the moment. The cabbie at the time paid a Bt200 fine for an assault charge.