An elderly Australian man who precipitated a Pattaya road rage incident got knocked to the ground in front of police while trying to portray himself as the victim.
Gerrard Collins, 72, came out of the Oct. 11 incident stunned and bleeding after being sucker-punched on video by Sumate Rungrath, 28, outside Aksorn Pattaya School on Soi Korphai. Police decided not to press charges against either man after sorting out their competing stories.
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To hear Collins tell it, he was driving on Thepprasit Road on the way to pick up his daughter from school. About to turn onto Soi Korphai, he waved at Sumate – also stopped at the intersection – to go ahead. However, the South Pattaya goldshop owner mistook the signal as a “middle-finger salute” and got out of his car and began shouting expletives at him, leading to an argument.
Fearing for his own safety, Collins said he pulled a knife to defend himself. Sumate smashed his windshield and drove away.
Dashcam video posted on the internet, however, shows a very different story, with Collins parked behind Sumate’s vehicle. The Australian gets out of his car, goes to the back and pulls out the large knife and goes to confront the Thai man in his vehicle.
Collins returns and starts to drive away, hitting Sumate with his car. The Thai man follows the Aussie to the school where police get involved.
In a video shot at the school, Collins is shown talking to police when Sumate begins shouting at him, telling him he has a video of what really occurred. Ignored by the Aussie, Sumate starts to walk away then turns around and clocks the senior citizen, who crumples to the ground.
Social media users reacted as expected, but heaped most of their criticism on Sumate for hitting the elderly man and causing violence at a school.
Sumate defended his actions and brought a police complaint claiming attempted murder. Police were skeptical, saying his needed to provide better evidence.
