The Siem Reap Provincial Court on Saturday charged the son-in-law of the provincial prison director with intentional violence and “public insult” for allegedly punching a traffic police officer last week and then threatening to run her over with his car, officials said Sunday.
Poeung Chandareth, chief of the provincial police’s minor crimes bureau, said his officers arrested Lem Snekomnit, 26, on Saturday after he turned himself in.
“His mother-in-law took him to our office in the morning,” he said. “We questioned him, and then, at around 11 [a.m.], the court came and took him.”
According to Mr. Chandareth, Investigating Judge Rem Sopheak issued an order to detain Mr. Snekomnit at the provincial prison on charges of intentional violence and publicly insulting a person.
Judge Sopheak could not be reached for comment.
According to police, Mr. Snekomnit punched Touch Mom, 24, twice in the arm on Tuesday after she pulled him over for driving his motorbike without a helmet.
After getting onto a moto-trailer with his wife and fleeing the scene, police said, Mr. Snekomnit returned in his Toyota Camry and shouted through the window that he would run Ms. Mom over if she did not apologize. He also used a derogatory term for a woman while yelling at her, police said.
When Ms. Mom took out her mobile phone to record the confrontation, Mr. Snekomnit again fled, according to police.
Chum Sovann, chief of the provincial police’s traffic bureau, said yesterday that National Police Commissioner Neth Savoeun would give Ms. Mom $500 today for enduring Mr. Snekomnit’s aggression. “The money is a donation to encourage her for doing her work, and for her [medical] treatment,” he said.
Ms. Mom said she currently earned about $170 per month and would use part of the $500 to pay for medical care.
“I had a scan of that part a few days ago, and my arm was severely hurt and my bone was hurt,” she said.
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly quoted Chum Sovann, chief of the Siem Reap provincial police’s traffic bureau, as saying that $500 that National Police Commissioner Neth Savoeun was set to give Touch Mom was “for the way she was treated.” Mr. Sovann said the money was for her medical treatment.
