Thread: BMW Driver Cuts Off Pickup, Injures Two People in Pathum Thani, Son of Local Politici

A white BMW driven by 28-year-old Smitthipat Leenawarat collided with a black pickup truck on Kanchanaphisek Motorway in Lam Luk Ka district, Pathum Thani.

The crash, captured on a bystander’s dashcam, showed Smitthipat allegedly aggressively tailing and cutting off the pickup after an apparent road rage exchange. The elderly pickup driver and his wife, aged 65 and 64, were injured and hospitalized.

Smitthipat is the son of Krissada Leenawarat, former mayor of Thanyaburi Municipality and a younger brother of Manasanan Leenawarat, a Pheu Thai MP for Pathum Thani. Initial reports framed the case as a simple traffic accident, but the release of the video evidence led highway police to reclassify the incident as potentially criminal.

Police tested Smitthipat for alcohol—results were negative—but noted inconsistencies in his statement. He had claimed the pickup had cut him off first, but footage showed Smitthipat pursuing and appearing to repeatedly swerve at the vehicle before forcing it off course.

On April 17th, National Police Chief Pol. Gen. Kitrat Panphet strongly condemned the behavior, calling it dangerous and unacceptable in society. He criticized attempts by the driver to allegedly use his father’s political status to gain favor, adding, “If it were my own son, I wouldn’t help. Everyone must be equal under the law.”


The chief promised full transparency in the investigation, stating that legal action will be taken on all applicable charges. Police are now working with local investigators at Lam Luk Ka Police Station to finalize the case. The public is closely watching the outcome as a measure of justice and fairness in high-profile cases.

Krissada, meanwhile, has visited the victims to offer his support and pledged to not obstruct any investigation, despite the suspect being his own son.

BMW Driver Cuts Off Pickup, Injures Two People in Pathum Thani, Son of Local Politician Under Fire - The Pattaya News

Local politician’s son in road rage incident fined 6,000 baht

The son of a local politician in Pathum Thani province, who was involved in a road rage incident which went viral on social media on Thursday, was charged with three offences and fined 2,000 baht for each.


Samitthipat Leenaowarat, son of Krisda, the mayor of Thanyaburi sub-district, reported to highway police in Pathum Thani yesterday, to be charged with reckless driving, driving an unlicenced vehicle and driving on an expired driving licence.


The suspect pleaded guilty to all three charges, paid the fines and was released.


Krisda, who accompanied his son to the police station, told the media that his son had already apologised to an elderly couple, who were in a pickup truck when it was forced into a collision with a road barrier by Samitthipat’s brand new BMW in the road rage incident on Thursday. Both sustained serious injuries, with the husband still in a hospital ICU with broken ribs.


Samitthipat is standing for seat on the Thanyaburi sub-district council in an election next month.


The local election commission office said that the traffic violation charges will not affect Samitthipat’s candidature.

Local politician’s son in road rage incident fined 6,000 bah

The public is closely watching the outcome as a measure of justice and fairness in high-profile cases.

6,000 baht? Very fair.

Man of the hour

Gun Jompalang might win any popularity poll even with Pita Limcharoenrat or Nadech Kugimiya thrown in. Better still, Gun could triumph or lose it narrowly if Thais were vote for a national police chief today and he was a candidate.


That’s how famously adored he has become thanks to the present road-rage case in which he is helping the average family at the receiving end, which pits him against a very powerful political family in Pathum Thani.


The Thai public have had a fair share of false-image publicity that disappoints them in the end, therefore many people are reserved about Gunnathat Pongpaiboonwet (his real but lesser-known name) and the excitement he has generated.


He has been on TV a lot, fighting for people who could not fight for themselves. There have been doubts about his intentions, so the past publicity did not get much farther than him being an often-seen figure who probably just wanted to be on the news to promote himself.


Some such doubts still exist, but his helping hand for the family affected physically and mentally by the angry young man driving an expensive sedan with little regard for road safety changes almost everything. Praises have come in a downpour. The more furious the public are at the road incident, the more adoration they give Gunnathat.


There must be hundreds of thousands of social media comments on the incident, and for every one attacking the young man, one will give Gunnathat deep gratitude and strong admiration.


“Without Gun, the story would be developing and ending very differently,” one comment said, a point that has been echoed numerous times.


Gun’s attempts to guard the ordinary family’s daughter against “insincere” or “media-event” apologies of the rich young man’s political family were presented as separate clips on YouTube, now flooded with developments of the road case, drawing millions of views.


Gun’s popularity, though high, did not yet peak when he openly challenged the rich man’s clan. It went through the roof, however, when a well-known politician curiously asked him to stop, suggesting that wealthy and powerful groups were chipping in funding for an assassination because he was just getting too far.


Mongkolkit Suksintharanon, who works for the Democrat Party, was the latest person who crashed and burned because of the road incident. The first was the young BMW driver himself, Smittipat Leenawarat. Then his father, Krissada Leenawarat, who was widely accused of defending an indefensible act. After that, Smittipat’s mother and Krissada’s wife Yuppawao, who has urged the social media to “stop hurting” her son.


The 28-year-old hotheaded man is seeking a seat on the Pathum Thani’s Thanyaburi municipal council in next month's local elections, together with other members of his family.


He had briefly entered the monkhood and Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and her father Thaksin were guests of honor at his pre-ordination ceremony, reportedly attended by thousands of other people.


Following Mongkolkit’s online warning, which some people interpreted as a conveyed threat, a powerful figure calling himself “Por Saimai” scolded Gun in a post, causing a concerted dig into his (Por Saimai’s) own backgrounds which involved massive gambling.
Now, Gun’s breathless activism targeted Por Saimai, too, and it’s threatening to shed new light on the illegal betting underworld.
Smittipat’s family reportedly wanted Gun to stay away from those he was helping. They apparently claimed Gun has been complicating what should have been an easy talk on settlement. The ordinary family, however, needs him to stick around because that would make them feel more protected and confident.


Gun Jompalang is rich himself. There are pictures of him with a red sport car. He is a well-known social media influencer who also have personal businesses. “Jompalang” nickname came from a noodle menu he sold previously. “Jompalang noodle” even became a franchise.


Whether or not Gun has been trying to project a certain kind of image is not much relevant in the aftermath of the infamous road rage, though. The case features a fight for justice between the rich and the poor, and he is siding with the underdogs, helping them in a showdown in which they would never have stood a chance otherwise.


It’s a case that is testing social strength, one that looks every “good” Thai in the eyes and defies them to do something. It’s a case that does not deny that Thailand has heroes, but challenges all the heroes to do the battles that really matter.


Whether Gun is doing the right thing for the wrong reason or not, his action is providing a serious food for thought.


Maybe Thai “heroes” are not outnumbered and outgunned after all, but they are probably barking up the wrong tree and looking the other way while they should have paid attention to the blatant infamy directly in front of them.

Man of the hour