Thai prosecutors have requested that police arrest Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya, the heir to the Red Bull empire, who is accused of a hit-and-run that killed a cop in Bangkok in 2012.
Yoovidhya has missed prosecutor orders to appear in court eight times since the charges, including speeding, hit-and-run and reckless driving, were filed against him in 2016.
“He sent a letter requesting to move the appointment but he can’t do this again,” said Suthi Kittisuppaporn, director general of the prosecution office of the Bangkok South Criminal Court, according to Reuters.
Suthi said his office would act “according to procedure” to issue an arrest warrant for the grandson of the late Chaleo Yoovidhya, creator of the energy drink Kratin Daeng, also known as Red Bull, who died at the age of 88 in 2012.
That same year, Vorayuth Yoovidhya reportedly crashed his Ferrari into a police officer who was on a patrol motorcycle in Bangkok’s wealthy Thonglor neighborhood.
He allegedly fled the scene after dragging the cop’s body along for several feet with his car.
Yoovidhya has previously claimed that he was too busy working overseas in places such as London and Singapore to appear in court.
“A court in Bangkok has approved the request and we’ve entered the arrest warrant into the system, meaning that police all over the country will be searching for him,” said Police Col Kajohnpong Jitparkpoom, the superintendent of Thong Lor police district, according to the BBC.
“But if he is found to be overseas, then the prosecutors will have to initiate the procedure to have him extradited, if possible.”
If convicted of reckless driving, a charge that expires in 2027, Vorayuth could face up to 10 years in prison.
Police say the Red Bull heir disputes the charge, claiming that the officer swerved in front of him.
The speeding charge expired after a year, while the more serious hit-and-run, which police say carries a punishment of up to six months in jail, will expire on September 3, according to the Associated Press.
