Police officers were called to the scene of the violent brawl, which broke out shortly before 9.30pm on Saturday.
The Irish man was a tourist in Pattaya, Thailand (Photo: Royal Thai Police)
An Irish man was arrested in Thailand over the weekend after allegedly attacking a taxi driver and injuring a police officer.
Police officers were called to the scene of the violent brawl, which broke out shortly before 9.30pm on Saturday, August 10 in the Nong Prue area of Pattaya city.
The man, who was accompanied by an unidentified Thai woman, had ordered a Bolt taxi to take him from Soi Buakhao to Soi Khao Noi, but accidentally entered the wrong location on a GPS map, according to Pattaya police.
After arriving at the incorrect destination, the driver, 43-year-old Jaemsaiwai Jaemsuwan, offered to take the pair back to Soi Khao Noi as he lived in the area.
But during the trip, the Irishman, who was allegedly intoxicated, became rowdy and repeatedly insulted the driver.
According to his police statement, Mr Jaemsaiwai eventually stopped the car and suggested they find another driver, which caused the Irishman to become enraged.
Mr Jaemsaiwai said the man slammed the car door and began to shout at him before grabbing him by the collar and breaking his gold necklace.
The taxi driver said that he retaliated by punching his passenger in the face and the two began to fight on the street.
A volunteer police officer who had been nearby at the time attempted to intervene but was allegedly punched unconscious by the Irish man, Mr Jaemsaiwai said.
Following this, a group of bystanders restrained the Irish man as police arrived at the scene, where they handcuffed him while emergency services administered first aid to the injured police officer and the aggressor, whose head needed to be bandaged after receiving cuts and bruises.
The injured volunteer officer was taken to a local hospital in the back of the police patrol car for treatment.
All parties were taken to Pattaya police station on Sunday for questioning.
