American Killed in Fight Over $1.60 Taxi Fare

Bangkok cabbie pulls machete after expat refuses to pay
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 8, 2013 2:20 AM CDT
American Killed in Fight Over $1.60 Taxi Fare
The driver says Pilkington became agitated after they become stuck in heavy traffic on Sukhumvit Road.   (?)

One man is dead and another could face a death sentence after a dispute over a $1.60 taxi fare in Bangkok. Police say a taxi driver has confessed to killing American expat Troy Pilkington with a machete after he accused him of rigging his meter, threw a cup of coffee at him, and stormed out of his taxi without paying the 51 baht fare, the AP reports.

The driver, who was tracked down with the help of surveillance camera footage, says he only meant to threaten Pilkington with the sword but attacked when he thought the American was going to fight him, reports the Bangkok Post. Pilkington, 51, worked for Caterpillar and had lived in Thailand for at least three years. (More Bangkok stories.)

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