A motorcycle cop was killed and his partner severely injured when a suspected drunk driver in a pickup truck, who was trying to avoid arrest, crashed into another pickup truck while running a red light and the second vehicle then hit the motorcycle the officers were on.
The accident happened shortly after midnight on Tuesday at the Indochina Intersection on Phitsanulok-Uttaradit Road in Muang district, Phitsanulok province
It followed a chase of about eight kilometres.
Lance Corporal Sarawut Chanso, 29, died at the scene of head injuries.
The seriously injured pillion rider was Lance Corporal Kantapat Sanyapong, 26.
Police arrested the pickup driver Itthiphum Phuphad, 25, who appeared under the influence of alcohol, after his vehicle careered off the road.
The truck that hit the motorcycle was driven by Thana Pongpattanakornm 42, who waited for police at the scene.
Police said Sarawut and Kantapat, who were on duty, were alerted by police radio to intercept the pickup driven by Itthiphum as it headed towards the Indochina Intersection.
After the 8km chase, the two policemen caught up with Itthiphum and told him to stop but he refused and tried to speed through the red light at the intersection.
Itthiphum’s truck crashed into Thana’s pickup, which spun and hit the police motorcycle.
After his arrest, a tearful Itthiphum said he wanted to avoid a blood alcohol test and he also feared arrest because he bought his truck three weeks and it did not have a licence plate.