Australian man killed in brutal Pattaya bar fight identified, American attacker in custody

[hobobo]

10 hours ago, dddave said:

So many times, we never learn the outcome of such deadly encounters.  There is always a suspicion that deals are done.

For instance, 6 or 7 years ago,  a Finnish man was walking his dog on Soi Diana. Some girl in a beer bar ran out and picked up the dog.  Words were exchanged between the girls BF and the Finn...the Finn ended up stabbed to death.  It was big news at the time but then disappeared.  Never learned what happened to the killer.

 

I can think of at least 4 or 5 similar high profile killings, farang on farang or farang on Thai GF that faded away...outcome never known.

It would not surprise me if it happens in this instance as well.

The victim was a New Zealand guy, and the killer a Swede. I left the same bar at around 1.30 am, and the murder occurred between 3.30 am and 4 am. The story resurfaced about 3 years ago when the New Zealand ambassador took an interest, but as I've heard of it second-hand, I will not comment here, it's hearsay.

[Dustdevil]

11 hours ago, chippendale said:

Hope those Ugly Americans rot in a filthy Thai jail: the attacker for life, his thug buddies for at least 10 years.

The term "Ugly American" does not denote a blanket denigration of 330 million people. It was a book and movie title referring to American diplomatic failures in Southeast Asia in the 1960s.

[patrick1968]

i hope they rot in jail for life ,,,,

[pgrahmm]

Apparently from other reports the deceased was a known problem & had already been kicked out of another bar just prior to this.....

Seems many different versions are out there....

[Denim]

1 hour ago, simtemple said:

10 years?  You're joking This scumbag should be executed in the same manner he killed his victim.

 

Which, despite all the foaming at the mouth by TVs usual lynch mob , has yet to be clarified with any degree of certainty.

 

Way too much running with ball before all the relevant facts are known.

[FarangJon]

Will be a good time in Bangkok Hilton for the American.

[Chris Lawrence]

A real coward.

[Golden Triangle]

10 hours ago, twizzian said:

Is Pattaya a nice place?

No, but certain members here would have you believe different, I feel sorry for them 

[johnarth]

13 hours ago, hansnl said:

Whatever the US laws may say, this yank killed an Australian on Thai soil.  Hope he will rot in prison in Thailand and then burn in hell. Kicking a man's head when he is down is the most despicable act imaginable.  His bloody US friends should get a long time in prison also, for not stopping the idiot, for not helping the victim, leaving him and for making pictures.  Bastards of the lowest order, all of them.

you got that right

[Fish Head Soup]

4 hours ago, idannyb said:

The American (Polanco) said he interfered because Robb was throttling the woman. Polanco admits punching Robb "three or four times" but also claims he acted in self defense.

Was it also 'self defense' when the American attacked a farang in a Starbucks coffee shop the previous day too? A very violent assault by all accounts, and the American was shouting about coming back the following day to finish it. Has the victim come forward to police?

[jing jing]

No big surprise that the initial account, which many here have predictably used as a platform to air their bigoted and warped worldviews, has turned out to be less than 100 percent truthful in its reporting of the "facts."

 

If the farcically fictional facebook post which has inspired this compendium of idiocy bore any resemblance to actual events, then perhaps a fraction of the vitriol heaped upon the American who delivered the fatal blow may be justified, but it seems that multiple other accounts suggest otherwise.

 

It may turn out that Mr. Joe Fist, much in the mold of another great American - John Wayne - heroically stepped up to defend a woman who was being physically assaulted by a drunken idiot, and lived up to his translated name by delivering a blow which floored the bad guy, who - possibly due to an excess of rotgut whiskey and bad karma - died as a result of the secondary impact.

[ftpjtm]

3 hours ago, Skeptic7 said:

Gotta love the Hang 'Em High rush to judgment mob here on TV. The initial story that has been reported may be 100% accurate, but likely not. Many of the original news stories reported that 4 or 5 guys ganged up on Robb...Thai style. Turns out those reports were wrong. Also, other reports say Robb was known as an agressive troublemaker who was choking a girl with feet dangling and acting belligerent towards others.

 

To be crystal...I am NOT trying to justify anything by anybody involved. Just saying that maybe before the TV vigilantes have the accused executed without all the facts...better cooler heads prevail and get all the facts first.

 

Just sayin'! 

Exactly!

 

I'm not defending the perp, but if there are a room full of Thais testifying that the victim was assaulting a Thai woman and the perp came to her defense which caused the victim to assault him, I don't think those handing out preliminary 50 year jail or death penalty verdicts are going to be pleased with the outcome.

 

It is hard to believe that the perp would quickly turn himself in if the OP description of events was completely accurate.

 

Let's wait to see what the numerous eye witnesses have to say before passing judgment.

[allyoops]

To continually stamp on someones head when they are down and out is a vile crime .I have no sympathy with the murderer at all ,I hope he never sees the light of day again ,he is a monster to do what he did .The people with him should be held to account aswell for not stopping the vile attack ,they probably egged the murderer on .As another comment said I hope they get at least 10 years in the slammer each .

Sympathies to the family of Benjamin Robb .On holiday and brutally murdered ,RIP .

[lamyai3]

51 minutes ago, jing jing said:

It may turn out that Mr. Joe Fist, much in the mold of another great American - John Wayne - heroically stepped up to defend a woman who was being physically assaulted by a drunken idiot, and lived up to his translated name by delivering a blow which floored the bad guy, who - possibly due to an excess of rotgut whiskey and bad karma - died as a result of the secondary impact.

If he'd stepped in to stop the guy assaulting a girl, and got attacked in the process, he had every right to floor him with his best punch, and it would have been an admirable thing to do. Unfortunately this good deed would have  wiped off the slate the instant any head stomping started.

 

If the version of events on the other thread turns out to be true however, and the guy went down with a few punches and hit his head on something leading to his death, then it's a different story altogether. 

[Fish Head Soup]

Manslaughter carries a term of between 3 - 15 years in Thailand.

[jobwolf]

15 hours ago, gk10002000 said:

I didn't see a photo so I don't know if the American is ugly or not.   American law allows for holding Americans overseas liable for crimes that are committed there and that break USA laws.  So, depending on the circumstances, lawyers, politicians, etc.  many things could happen to this man.

Not their War mongering politicians and criminal Soldiers. They protect their own, otherwise halve the Politicos would be in Jail.

[bmanly]

Common rule in Pattaya, if a girl is being bothered it is not up to a farang hero to step in. They can and will defend themselves very easily. There would be 20 or more girls working there plus a male manager, plus all the motocy guys hanging around. The Thais run the show, no one else. They don't need a American idiot with all his buddies to cheer him on to step in. Hope the moron spends the rest of his life in prison.

[Fish Head Soup]

Not to mention that the American guy has killed someone before and served time in the US for the killing.

 

http://myfloridalegal.com/alerts.nsf/Print Slip Opinions/5360FEA12E120DF6852565DF006C99E7?OpenDocument

 

http://mugshots.com/US-Counties/Florida/Miami-Dade-County-FL/Jose-Manuel-Polanco.44451415.html

 

 

[honcho]

15 hours ago, Darcula said:

Why do bad things happen in such nice places?

 

 

 

nice place and pattaya are a contradiction in terms....

 

 

[Fish Head Soup]

 

Mugshots.com ID: 6425188

Name: POLANCO, JOSE M

Race: WHITE

Gender: MALE

Hair Color: BROWN

Eye Color: BROWN

Height: 6′ 2″ (1.88 m)

Weight: 227 LB (103 kg)

Birth date: 6/05/1974

DC Number: M04985

Release Date: 9/01/1998

Release Facility: S.F.R.C SOUTH UNIT

Custody: N/A

Stated Residence:

14873 S.W. 173 TERR.

MIAMI, FL. 33178 33178

Names / Aliases:

JOSE POLANCO

JOSE M POLANCO

JOSE MANUEL POLANCO

 

Charges:

Offense DateOffenseSentence DateCountyCase No.Prison Sentence Length

03/08/1993HOMICIDE,MANSL.CUL.NEGLI09/20/1996MIAMI-DADE93079639Y 0M 0D

Current Community Supervision History:

Offense DateOffenseSentence DateCountyCase No.Community Supervision Length

03/08/1993HOMICIDE,MANSL.CUL.NEGLI09/20/1996MIAMI-DADE93079635Y 0M 0D

Incarceration History:

Date In-CustodyDate Out-of-Custody

12/30/199609/01/1998

 

 

[bmanly]

2 minutes ago, Fish Head Soup said:

Not to mention that the American guy has killed someone before and served time in the US for the killing.

 

http://myfloridalegal.com/alerts.nsf/Print Slip Opinions/5360FEA12E120DF6852565DF006C99E7?OpenDocument

 

http://mugshots.com/US-Counties/Florida/Miami-Dade-County-FL/Jose-Manuel-Polanco.44451415.html

 

 

This guy should be put away for life, immediately.

[Billy The Kid]

15 hours ago, Just1Voice said:

Just one of the many reasons I stopped drinking 40 years ago. 

Likewise , I stopped 17 years ago , and this 17 years were the best part of my life and will intend to continue . 

[kiwikeith]

15 hours ago, chippendale said:

Hope those Ugly Americans rot in a filthy Thai jail: the attacker for life, his thug buddies for at least 10 years.

I wonder the ethnic background of this American?

[Air Smiles]

2 minutes ago, kiwikeith said:

I wonder the ethnic background of this American?

 

Spain?

[pegman]

4 hours ago, Dustdevil said:

The term "Ugly American" does not denote a blanket denigration of 330 million people. It was a book and movie title referring to American diplomatic failures in Southeast Asia in the 1960s.

I've been following Pence's adventures in South Korea. Seems the Ugly American diplomatic failures continue on.

[pegman]

4 minutes ago, Air Smiles said:

 

Spain?

Dominican?

[charmonman]

13 minutes ago, bmanly said:

This guy should be put away for life, immediately.

Why does Thailand let people like this into the country in the first place? Why does the US government allow him to even have a passport. Rather than worrying about "rapists and murderers" coming into their country, the US should stop exporting their own to other countries.

 

 I remember Pattaya from 30 years ago. It was a fun place, not so full of criminals and complete losers like this.

[Air Smiles]

10 minutes ago, pegman said:

Dominican?

Like I said , Spain.

[mstevens]

52 minutes ago, Fish Head Soup said:

Not to mention that the American guy has killed someone before and served time in the US for the killing.

 

http://myfloridalegal.com/alerts.nsf/Print Slip Opinions/5360FEA12E120DF6852565DF006C99E7?OpenDocument

 

http://mugshots.com/US-Counties/Florida/Miami-Dade-County-FL/Jose-Manuel-Polanco.44451415.html

 

 

This is yet another incident which reinforces why I believe Thai Immigration should be much more choosy about who they let in. Thailand has laws that state anyone who has done 12 months or more in jail is inadmissible to Thailand - it's about time these laws were enforced.

[kiwikeith]

If I ever saw a likeness of a psychopath then this is typical.

He has murdered before, he knows no off switch when beating someone, he is a psychopathic maniac who should have been closely screened for a visa to LOS. If he was not American he would not be allowed into the USA>

 

So what we have here is a massive failure by the Thai authorities to sort and deny lunatics into Thailand

The place is full of maniacs who seem to love to head for Pattaya, how these criminals get into Thailand means a serious overhaul of National security and Visa requirements is needed urgently-- weed out the scum .