A British tourist is said to be in a coma fighting for his life after a security guard at a bar in Thailand kicked him in the head.
Video shared online shows the brutal attack, which happened on Friday evening at Helicopters Bar in the red light district of Pattaya following a dispute over a drinks bill.
The bouncer, who has apologised for his actions, was working alongside two others when an argument broke out between the bar’s hostess and three British men.
The hostess said the men insulted her when she told them some of their bill hadn’t been paid and refused to hand over any money, saying they were being scammed.
She called security and CCTV shows the tourists settled their bill, but one of them then pushed one of the bouncers, causing a brawl to break out in the street.
Footage shows three bouncers knocking two of the British men to the ground.
One of the tourists is seen lying on the ground while raising his hands pleading for them to stop.
A guard then takes a run-up and kicks the man in the head at full force. The Metro has decided not to show the part where he makes impact.
The victim is seen lifeless on the ground for several minutes and witnesses claimed he was now in a coma in intensive care.
Police said the guards had been warned about their conduct but not arrested as no one had filed a complaint.
Sergeant Major Arthon from the Pattaya City police station said: ‘There’s no case open until they complain. We’ve had a look around but can’t find them.
‘Yes, we’re still checking CCTV to see what happened to them. There are rumours that he is in intensive care but we haven’t heard anything from hospitals.’
The bouncer who kicked the man in the head spoke on video saying: ‘We did not know the amount of the bill that the tourists did not pay. We arrived after being called by a cashier to protect her because she was afraid.
‘I want to apologise to society and Pattaya authorities for overdoing it by continuing to attack the tourists when they were down. I acted out of temper after being attacked first.
‘We work as part of a group of security guards. There are five of us and we are hired by 28 bars on the road.’
Bar hostess Samorn said that the three men had paid two sex workers to drink with them.
She added: ‘Two of the tourists had paid their bills, but another had not and changed his seat several times.
‘I asked them to pay the bill, but the tourist in the white shirt argued that he had already paid. I explained that the money was the payment of someone who had not paid and not his own bill.
‘They insulted me and said the bar was trying to scam them, so I called the security over and told them the tourist would not pay his bill.’
Police Colonel Nawin Thirawit, superintendent of Pattaya Police Station, said that the bouncers’ actions had tarnished the image of Pattaya.
They were invited to the police station and apologised for ‘damaging the image of the country’.
The policeman said: ‘The security guards should have prevented the incident and reported it to the police.
‘Anyone who works in this industry must keep their emotions in check and focus on preventing incidents rather than attacking people.
‘Cases like this can damage the reputation of the city and deter tourists from visiting.’
Helicopter Bar, which is understood to have British owners, did not respond to requests for comment.
Pattaya – once a quiet fishing village – is now known for its resorts, 24-hour clubs and red-light district.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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