Taxi Driver Kills Toy-wielding Pillion Rider

[george]

Taxi driver kills toy-wielding pillion rider

BANGKOK: -- A Bangkok taxi driver rammed a motorcycle, injuring the driver and killing his pillion passenger who had allegedly made rude gestures and waved a toy pistol at the cabby, news reports said Wednesday.

The incident occurred Tuesday at a Bangkok intersection after the cab had cut in front of the motorcycle taxi, prompting its passenger to curse the driver and threaten him with a pistol.

"I was afraid he would shoot me, so I rammed the motorcycle," the taxi driver, Prasert Khianjaturas, told police, according to the Thai-language Khao Sot newspaper.

Police discovered a toy pistol at the scene.

Prasert has been charged with premeditated murder.

Motorcycle taxis are a popular means of cheap and rapid transport in traffic-clogged Bangkok.

--DPA 2006-03-01

[astral]

"I was afraid he would shoot me, so I rammed the motorcycle," the taxi driver, Prasert Khianjaturas, told police, according to the Thai-language Khao Sot newspaper.

I would have done the same.

It is self defense. You do not wait to be shot before you react.

Ask any Thai policeman.

Prasert has been charged with premeditated murder.

Hardly premeditated, unless you consider driving a taxi in the same class

as carrying a leathal weapon.................

Manslaughter at the very worst........... but then TIT

[Tywais]

Prasert has been charged with premeditated murder.

Seems a little steep, why not manslaughter charge instead? I think someone pointing a gun (not knowing it was a toy) at you with cause a rather quick, possibly rash response from anyone.

Astral, looks like we posted the same response at exactly the same time.

Edited March 1, 2006 by tywais

[PeaceBlondie]

Why does anybody carry toy guns? Why would anybody be stuuuuupid enough to brandish a toy gun, or an unloaded weapon? And people wonder why the PC crowd wants to ban toy guns.

Mama, don't let your babies grow up to be fake cowboys who 'threaten' strangers with a toy gun.

[Maejo Man]

Taxi driver kills toy-wielding pillion rider

Prasert has been charged with premeditated murder.

--DPA 2006-03-01

Sure......He got up this morning and said to himself..... today I will ram a motorcycle and kill the person that points a toy gun at me!!!

All replica and toy guns are banned in most western countries now, but we forget....TIT

[frodo]

My Sentiments Exactly! I can't see how this would be a case of premeditated murder. It seems more self-defense to me. Much like most of you responded, point a gun at me and I have to defend myself somehow.

[the gent]

The pillion rider's age is not given........

Anyway, charging high gives leeway to plea bargaining later. Bleeding obvious, really.

[gburns57au]

The guy needs a good lawyer....but he has a strong case given the situation as reported.

[Jai Yen Yen]

A Dutch guy did it too, but the gun was real...

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=50490

[TAWP]

All replica and toy guns are banned in most western countries now, but we forget....TIT

No their not, just in far too many fake-democracys they are.

And the cab-driver should get a medal for helping Darwins Theory along the way.

[Ricardo]

All replica and toy guns are banned in most western countries now, but we forget....TIT

No their not, just in far too many fake-democracys they are.

And the cab-driver should get a medal for helping Darwins Theory along the way.

Absolutely - Natural Selection In Action !

[englishoak]

Would have done the same thing without thinking about it

If someone was to point gun at me on a bike and i'm in a car ? Replica or not i'm not going to ask or check I'm just going to avoid being shot no 1 priority! can't avoid a bike in traffic so you gotta take him out Obvious to use whats at hand ...." the car" ... simple ... As for the charge ?? thats just

[steven w]

All replica and toy guns are banned in most western countries now, but we forget....TIT

No their not, just in far too many fake-democracys they are.

And the cab-driver should get a medal for helping Darwins Theory along the way.

Taxi driver kills toy-wielding pillion rider

BANGKOK: -- A Bangkok taxi driver rammed a motorcycle, injuring the driver and killing his pillion passenger who had allegedly made rude gestures and waved a toy pistol at the cabby, news reports said Wednesday.

The incident occurred Tuesday at a Bangkok intersection after the cab had cut in front of the motorcycle taxi, prompting its passenger to curse the driver and threaten him with a pistol.

"I was afraid he would shoot me, so I rammed the motorcycle," the taxi driver, Prasert Khianjaturas, told police, according to the Thai-language Khao Sot newspaper.

Police discovered a toy pistol at the scene.

Prasert has been charged with premeditated murder.

Motorcycle taxis are a popular means of cheap and rapid transport in traffic-clogged Bangkok.

--DPA 2006-03-01

Taxi driver kills toy-wielding pillion rider

BANGKOK: -- A Bangkok taxi driver rammed a motorcycle, injuring the driver and killing his pillion passenger who had allegedly made rude gestures and waved a toy pistol at the cabby, news reports said Wednesday.

The incident occurred Tuesday at a Bangkok intersection after the cab had cut in front of the motorcycle taxi, prompting its passenger to curse the driver and threaten him with a pistol.

"I was afraid he would shoot me, so I rammed the motorcycle," the taxi driver, Prasert Khianjaturas, told police, according to the Thai-language Khao Sot newspaper.

Police discovered a toy pistol at the scene.

Prasert has been charged with premeditated murder.

Motorcycle taxis are a popular means of cheap and rapid transport in traffic-clogged Bangkok.

--DPA 2006-03-01

[Heng]

I would have done the same. Only I'd be laughing about it over a bottle of Weller instead of dealing with lawyers at this point.

[zzap]

Good job the taxi driver is charged.

About time to show the Taxi-mob they can't get away with murder...

[TAWP]

It's called 'extended self-defence'.

[penzman]

"Don't take your guns to town, son

Leave your guns at home, Bill

Don't take your guns to town."

-Johnny Cash

[edd]

Funny! i only read the tax-ie drivers side of the conflict.

Well perhaps it is not poss. for a Tax-ie driver to loose his cool.

Silly me NO Thai would do that. JAI YIN YIN

[Greer]

It is unfortunate that someone was killed, but how idiotic to point a replica or toy gun at a stranger.

I banned my children from having any toy guns at home and even then the relatives buy them for my kids - I have smashed up at least four and thrown the bits away so the kids don't play with them - the family can't understand why I am so against these "toys".

The blasted things look exactly like the real thing, unless you have it in your hand you would hardly be able to tell if it is plastic or real.

I don't blame the taxi driver at all, and I think it should have been recorded as "death by misadventure" which really means it was the persons own fault - which it was.

There was a report not so long ago about someone who pointed a plastic toy gun (a replica) at a policeman - obviously he is not around to tell his side of the story either, but stupidity reaps it's own rewards!

As I said - it is tragic that someone died, and I feel very sorry for the passenger and his family, but if even one person learns a lesson by what happened, maybe it will save a life elsewhere - we can only hope.

What a terrible waste.

[GuestHouse]

Great quick thinking by the taxi driver.

He should be aquitted on the basis of self defense.

[English Noodles]

It is unfortunate that someone was killed, but how idiotic to point a replica or toy gun at a stranger.

I banned my children from having any toy guns at home and even then the relatives buy them for my kids - I have smashed up at least four and thrown the bits away so the kids don't play with them - the family can't understand why I am so against these "toys".

The blasted things look exactly like the real thing, unless you have it in your hand you would hardly be able to tell if it is plastic or real.

I don't blame the taxi driver at all, and I think it should have been recorded as "death by misadventure" which really means it was the persons own fault - which it was.

There was a report not so long ago about someone who pointed a plastic toy gun (a replica) at a policeman - obviously he is not around to tell his side of the story either, but stupidity reaps it's own rewards!

As I said - it is tragic that someone died, and I feel very sorry for the passenger and his family, but if even one person learns a lesson by what happened, maybe it will save a life elsewhere - we can only hope.

What a terrible waste.

Great quick thinking by the taxi driver.

He should be aquitted on the basis of self defense.

Agree 100 percent

[penzman]

Yep, I see kids often playing with toy guns outside and always find it sad.

There was even a kid pointing one at the camera not long ago on one of Sondhi's rallies! Weird moment... I wonder who he was really pointing at?

[TAWP]

Don't blame the item of the operators stupid usage of it.

[NordicMan]

Taxi driver kills toy-wielding pillion rider

Prasert has been charged with premeditated murder.

--DPA 2006-03-01

Sure......He got up this morning and said to himself..... today I will ram a motorcycle and kill the person that points a toy gun at me!!!

All replica and toy guns are banned in most western countries now, but we forget....TIT

Which Western countries are they banned in? They seem to be on sale all over Europe.

[Greer]

Don't blame the item of the operators stupid usage of it.

Yes, you are quite right, but the point for me is that most kids (Thai or otherwise) don't realise that pointing something that looks like a gun at someone is exactly the same as pointing a real gun at them - until you pull the trigger - and as the reaction of any policeman, or in this case cab driver, is naturally to prevent themselves being shot - they are not going to wait till you have completed pulling the trigger to find out if it is a real gun or not.

So yes, the stupidity of the user in this case, or the simple unknowing mistake by a child - the end result may be tragic - so I prefer to make sure that there is no way my kids can point toy (or real) guns at anyone - either in innocent childhood fun or through stupidity.

Prevention is better than the alternative. There is no good reason for anyone to "play" with guns at all - they exist for one reason only - to kill.

[Chris Lawrence]

I think we should all have guns. What about public executions, wouldn't this be great? Floggings on a Saturday the mind goes into spasms!

Do u know what, someone would always bring a taxi to a gun fight. Extremly unfair advantage; maybe that is why we can't all have guns? Because only a selected few can drive a taxi.

[Scott]

Quite a number of years back, two of my kids were playing in the backseat of the car, one was about 10 and the other about 16. The younger one had a toy gun and the older one got tired of his little brother messing around and so he took it away from him. It was early dusk, so it wasn't easy to see people in a car. Apparently, someone was passing and saw the "struggle" for the gun. Next thing I knew we were surrounded by police cars with real and really big guns pointing at us.

Of course it was all a big mistake, but my kids never ever played with toy guns after that. One wrong move and I think that would have been the end of things!

Important lesson learned.

[TAWP]

"The kid that puts to many marbles into his nose wont grow up to have kids of his own."

Discuss amongst yourselfs.