An Australian national allegedly crashed a sport utility vehicle into several cars and motorbikes before slamming into a tree on a popular bar street in Phnom Penh’s Daun Penh district in the early hours of Saturday morning, police said Monday.
The 48-year-old man allegedly plowed a late-model Lexus into three cars, two motorcycles and a building on Street 104 at around 3:15 am Saturday, said Pen Khun, a municipal traffic police official who helps broker disputes stemming from car crashes.
Although the driver appeared to be drunk at the wheel, no charges will be laid against him because he voluntarily reported the incident to the police, Pen Khun said.
The man has identified himself as a mining company employee, Pen Khun said, though he did not know the name of the firm in question.
One of the three cars that were damaged belonged to Phnom Penh’s Deputy Police Chief Pol Phiethey, Pen Khun added.
Pol Phiethey and the vehicle’s driver could not be reached for comment.
The Lexus was towed to the municipal traffic police headquarters following the crash, and the Australian driver is currently discussing the matter with police through a Cambodian representative, Pen Khun said.
“His Khmer representative came [to the station] to solve this problem,” Penh Khun said. He declined to provide contact details for the representative.
Nouv Hy, a marketing manager for Kampuchea Shipping Agency and Brokers on Street 104, said the wall of the agency’s offices was damaged in the crash.
“We want the person who made the damage to pay,” he said, adding that around $100 worth of damage was done to the building.
