UBON RATCHATHANI – A former top science student addicted to methamphetamine has been arrested after stealing his former employer’s pickup truck, fleeing from police, and crashing into a motorbike.
The collision killed a mother, left her daughter critically injured, and caused over 500,000 baht in damage to a flower shop and nearby homes. The suspect admitted he had taken five methamphetamine pills before the incident.
Pol Lt Witthit Khunkhot, an investigator with Det Udom Police Station in Ubon Ratchathani, received a report of a pickup truck hitting a motorbike, then careening into a roadside flower shop.
Police and rescue workers arrived to find a black Toyota Vigo pickup, registration number บฉ 9448 Amnat Charoen, which had lost control, hit a power pole, and overturned. Nearby, they found a pink Honda motorbike, registration 2 กด 6080 Ubon Ratchathani, badly damaged at the rear.
Two women were injured. Mrs Kongsri Srisuphan, aged 59, was taken to the district hospital but later died. Her daughter, Miss Saowalak Srisuphan, aged 27, suffered serious injuries and was rushed to Sunpasitthiprasong Hospital in Ubon Ratchathani.
Police detained the driver at the scene. He was identified as Mr Sukkasem Srimongkol, aged 18.
The initial investigation revealed that the pickup had been stolen from a car air conditioning repair shop in the Buntharik district, Ubon Ratchathani. CCTV footage from the garage clearly showed the thief, identified as Mr Sukkasem, a former employee of the shop.
The next morning, officers from the 191 patrol unit of Det Udom Police Station, which covers an area close to Buntharik, spotted the stolen pickup coming towards them. They made a U-turn to follow the vehicle.
Instead of stopping, Mr Sukkasem sped off. During the chase, one of the tires burst, causing him to lose control.
The pickup slammed into the back of the motorbike ridden by Mrs Kongsri, with her daughter as passenger, throwing both of them off to the roadside. The impact dragged the motorbike for about 50 metres. The pickup then hit a streetlight pole and flipped into a plant shop, damaging the shop and nearby houses.
After officers brought Mr Sukkasem to Det Udom Police Station, reporters noted that he still had wild, unfocused eyes and looked as if he was under the influence of drugs. A drug test confirmed he had taken methamphetamine. Police placed him in a holding cell to calm down.
Later, his mother, Mrs La‑ongdao (surname withheld), aged 54, came to the station to see her son. She broke down in tears when she learned that he had killed someone and might face a long prison term.
Mrs La‑ongdao told officers she has cancer and that Sukkasem is the main breadwinner of the family. She said the family is poor and relies on his income. She also claimed she had no idea her son was a drug addict.
The police allowed the mother and son to speak briefly. During the visit, Sukkasem showed little concern and reportedly told his mother, “People do not die that easily,” before officers led him back to the cell.
Miss Inthira Malasai, aged 23, the owner of the flower shop that was hit, described what she saw. She said she noticed police chasing the pickup, then heard what sounded like a gunshot or a tyre bursting.
The truck then crashed into the motorbike in front, lost control, and came straight into her shop. She was on the opposite side of the road, arranging flowers at the time, so she was not hurt. She added that when police arrested Sukkasem, his eyes looked strange all the time, which she believed was due to the methamphetamine he had taken.
Miss Sukanya Suphap, aged 38, owns the car air conditioning repair shop from which the truck was stolen. She said she was not at the shop when it happened. She later learned that a customer’s vehicle was missing, so she checked the CCTV footage.
The video clearly showed Sukkasem, a former worker, driving the truck away.
Miss Sukanya explained that Sukkasem had once been an excellent student and had won a national gold medal in a science competition. His family was poor, and his mother had cancer, so she had taken him on at the shop so he could earn money to support his family and help pay for his mother’s treatment.
Over the past year, however, he started spending time with the wrong crowd and began using drugs. He gradually stopped coming to work and eventually disappeared, until reappearing through this crime.
She added that she would likely have to take responsibility for the damage to the customer’s vehicle. The owner of the truck understood the situation, and they had already discussed the matter.
Investigators at Det Udom Police Station have now charged Sukkasem with reckless driving causing death, causing property damage, and using a Category 1 narcotic (methamphetamine). He has confessed to all these charges.
As for the theft of the pickup truck, which took place under the jurisdiction of Huai Kha Police Station in Buntharik district, the investigating officer there will seek a court warrant for his arrest and arrange for him to be transferred and formally charged in that separate case.
