A young man reported to be the son of a wealthy Phnom Penh doctor was still being detained by military police yesterday evening after he angered the force’s deputy commander, Non Sokha, on Friday in a protracted road rage incident around Central Market.

Me Phea, identified by local media reports as the son of medical doctor Mana Chan, was arrested at about 6:30pm on Friday after attempting to drive his car into Sokha following a row over a near-accident, according to National Military Police spokesman Eng Hy.

“We have detained him and he is at the Phnom Penh Municipal Military Police headquarters,” Hy said yesterday, declining to provide more details about the arrest. “The authorities are working on the case.”

Sokha said by telephone he had been in his car driving around Central Market on Friday when Phea pulled his car out of a parking spot and almost hit his car, leading his driver to honk loudly. Phea drove 15 metres away, he said, before suddenly stopping.

“When he stopped his car, he walked toward our car . . . and he cursed our mothers, and asked if we knew who he is, and who his father is,” Sokha said, adding that Phea then got back in his car and tried to run him over. He jumped over a parking gate to safety, he said.

Getting stuck in the heavy traffic around the market as he then tried to escape, Phea was minutes later apprehended by military police called by Sokha.

“He might have used too many drugs,” the official said. “Please do not allow for any interventions. This needs to be [prosecuted] in compliance with the law.”

In a video clip with 200,000 views that was posted on Facebook on Friday, Chan, the detained man’s father, appeared to threaten suicide if his son was indeed prosecuted over Friday’s incident, saying he wanted to be punished in his stead.

“See you in the next life, my beloved son. This was your dad’s mistake, because I did not educate you well,” he said. “I have gone around to apologise to them to punish me because my son was wrong. RIP.”