Man Hacked To Death By Cab Driver Over $1.60 Fare [Shocking Video]

Thailand – An American man was hacked to death by his cab driver in Bangkok Saturday night over his apparent refusal to pay a fare of $1.60.

The driver, 32-year-old Chidchai Utmacha, allegedly chased down and killed 51-year-old Troy Lee Pilkington with a machete and hacked him to death after a heated argument about the cab fare.

Utmacha repeatedly slashed Pilkington with a 12-inch machete kept in his trunk, authorities said. The incident was caught on tape.

Pilkington was an American who worked for the machinery company Caterpillar Inc., and had been living in Thailand for the past three years. Authorities investigating the murder said that Pilkington was Utmacha’s fare during a busy crawl on the country’s Sukhumvit Road.

He accused Utmacha of rigging the meter while they sat in traffic, and stormed out of the cab. Utmacha asked him to pay the 51 baht (about $1.60) owed to him, and Pilkington responded by throwing his cup of coffee at the cabbie.

Utmacha then went to his trunk and pulled out his 12-inch machete. He chased Pilkington down and attacked him.

Nearby surveillance footage shows a man swinging a machete wildly at Pilkington, who attempts to grab his assailant.

Utmacha later told police that he simply panicked after Pilkington fell to the ground, and that he didn’t think he would die. He later dumped his machete into the canal and threw away his bloody shirt.

Utmacha was arrested on charges of murder and carrying a weapon in public without reasonable cause.

Now here’s the awful part. The video of Pilkington being hacked to death has been going viral on sites like YouTube. You can watch it below, but be warned that contents may disturb.

[Image via: Burlingham / Shutterstock]