Taxi driver slashes passenger’s head over extra S$18 fee dispute
Last Saturday (10 Aug), three passengers, including two Thais and a Singaporean, took a taxi to return home after a birthday party.
During the cab ride, one of the passengers, Ms Wanpen Khamsa-nga, felt nauseous and asked the driver to stop.
She later asked the driver to stop again, but this time, the cabbie handed her a plastic bag instead.
To avoid dirtying the vehicle, Ms Wanpen opened the window and vomited into the bag.
Taxi driver demanded S$18 for stopping to let passenger vomit
However, during the ride, the driver demanded an extra 500 baht (S$18), claiming he wasted his time stopping for the passenger to vomit.
Ms Wanpen and her friend Itsaraporn — the other Thai passenger — refused to pay, arguing that the former didn’t throw up in the car. They negotiated to pay only 200 baht (S$7) and decided to call a new taxi, reported the Thaiger.
After the two exited the vehicle, the driver unexpectedly followed and slashed Ms Wanpen two to three times with a knife.
Source: Bright TV
He kept attacking her despite pleas from Ms Itsaraporn and her Singaporean friend.
The new taxi subsequently arrived and honked at the offender, prompting him to flee in his car.
Passenger fractured skull & receives 20 stitches for head wounds
Ms Wanpen reportedly fractured her skull in the process and received 20 stitches for the head wound.
She also sustained several cuts on her hands and arms.
The victim’s sister and Ms Itsaraporn filed an attempted murder report against the cab driver but there was reportedly “no progress” to the case.
They also shared the story in a Facebook group for Thai taxi drivers, but the group’s admin allegedly blocked the post.
Later, they reported the incident to a non-profit organisation.
Source: Daily News
Mr Ekkaphop, the founder of the non-profit organisation, followed up with the police and demanded that the driver’s taxi licence be revoked and that he be tested for drugs.
The taxi driver, 50-year-old Prapas Boonlang, finally turned himself in on Monday (12 Aug).
He said he was sorry for his actions, claiming that the passenger had thrown money at him and that he was stressed from trying to earn money for his pregnant wife and two children.
According to Daily News, the driver was granted a temporary release and will be charged after a medical report on Ms Wanpen’s injuries is released.
Also read: Taxi driver arrested for allegedly attacking passenger with a weapon after dispute in Bedok
Taxi driver arrested for allegedly attacking passenger with a weapon after dispute in Bedok
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Featured image adapted from Bright TV.
