PATTAYA, Thailand – Two videos captured by tourists revealed a brutal assault by three security guards on two foreign tourists on Pattaya Soi 6, the popular nightlife street in North Pattaya. The incident, which took place on the evening of May 26, in full view of numerous onlookers, shocked both Thai and foreign tourists, including bar employees.
The video showed a tourist wearing a white shirt being attacked with punches and kicks until he fell to the ground. One guard continued to kick him while another tourist, wearing a gray shirt, attempted to intervene. This tourist was then dragged down and repeatedly punched and kicked in the face until he lost consciousness. The guards then returned to violently assault the first tourist again.
The violent scene unfolded despite the pleas of bar employees and onlookers, who begged the guards to stop. The guards persisted, focusing their attacks on the tourists’ faces even as they lay on the ground, unable to stand, and raised their hands in surrender. The brutality left onlookers horrified.
Ms. Samorn (surname withheld), a 38-year-old cashier at the bar, told reporters that three foreign tourists had been drinking at the bar. Two paid their bills individually, while the third kept changing seats and interacting with the staff. When the staff asked his friends to settle his bill, the tourist in the white shirt argued, claiming he had already paid. After an exchange of harsh words, the tourist accused the bar of overcharging and refused to pay, leading to a scuffle with other customers. The bar then called the security guards.
Upon the guards’ arrival, one tourist paid the bill of 2,800 baht, but tensions flared when the tourist in the white shirt pushed one of the guards, leading to the violent confrontation captured in the videos. Ms. Samorn noted that the guards’ intervention likely prevented further harm to herself and other customers.
Later that night, Pattaya City Police Chief Pol. Col. Navin Teerawit ordered the detention of the three guards, identified as Ball (27), Tom (36), and Ice (24). They confessed to the assault as shown in the videos. Ball stated that the altercation began when he was pushed and punched by one of the tourists, resulting in a broken nose that required six stitches. He admitted that their response was excessive, driven by anger, and apologized for their actions.
Pol. Col. Navin Teerawit reprimanded the guards, emphasizing that their duty is to ensure tourists’ safety, not cause harm. He stressed that their actions severely damaged Pattaya’s reputation as a tourist destination and that they should have called the police to handle the situation. The guards were warned to control their emotions and not resort to violence while performing their duties.
The three guards, who admitted their guilt, were taken into custody for further legal proceedings. Surveillance footage of the incident, showing the escalating conflict from the tourists’ argument with the cashier to the guards’ violent intervention, was submitted as evidence.
