Bodybuilder who threatened police pleads guilty
A former body builder on Thursday pleaded guilty to seven charges, including driving under the influence of alcohol, insulting policemen, and barging into a traffic police booth.
A video of the alleged behaviours by Mekin Ayuwattanamongkon, 34, was shot by Pol Senior Sgt-Major Pawit Boonmasungsong, a traffic policeman at the Saladaeng intersection on Rama IV Road in Pathumwan district.
The video clip went viral on many social network platforms, including Facebook and Twitter. Several television stations also broadcast the footage.
The video showed Mekin, with a woman riding pillion, parking his bike in front of a police booth at the Saladaeng intersection. The two were not wearing helmets.
Mekin yelled, challenged and cursed police, Pawit said, after he was stopped for not wearing helmets. He even accelerated the bike, causing loud noise, Pawit said, adding the woman was seen trying to calm him down but to no avail.
The suspect then got off the bike and entered the police booth. He is seen showing police the middle finger and challenging them to charge him, saying he had money to pay the fine.
In the clip, Pawit is heard telling Mekin that another policeman would come with a breathaliser to handle his case. The suspect continued to yell and challenge the police.
After the second policeman came and tested him, it was found that his alcohol level was over four times the permissible level.
Police spokesman Pol General Wirachai Songmetta said that Mekin faces seven charges including insulting police officers, driving under influence of alcohol, driving without a helmet, failing to arrange a helmet for a fellow-rider, as well as entering a police booth without permission.
Wirachai said a traffic police booth is a prohibited area because it could cause an accident if somebody went into it and interfered with traffic control boards.
He also praised Wiwat for being calm and not getting provoked by the insulting words.
Wiwat said he had radioed another policeman to deal with Mekin, as he was busy with the traffic. He said he knew Mekin was drunk from the very first moment he talked to him.
Mekin said he worked in the Silom area and had drinks after work and continued drinking at the house of a friend. He left the house at 6pm and was heading to another place when he was stopped by traffic police.