Red Bull creatorâ??s kin charged in fatality

BANGKOK — A grandson of the creator of the Red Bull energy drink has been arrested for driving a Ferrari that struck a police officer and dragged his dead body down a Bangkok street in an early-morning hit-and-run, police said Monday.

Police took Vorayuth Yoovidhya, 27, for questioning after tracing oil streaks to his family's gated estate in a wealthy neighborhood of the Thai capital.

He was facing charges of causing death by reckless driving and escaping an arrest by police but was released on $15,900 bail.

Vorayuth admitted he drove the sports car but said the police officer's motorcycle abruptly cut in front of his vehicle, said police Maj. Gen. Anuchai Lekbamroong, the lead investigator in the case.

Bangkok's top police official, Lt. Gen. Comronwit Toopgrajank, said he took charge of the probe after a lower-ranking policeman tried to cover up the crime by turning in a bogus suspect.

The victim, Sgt. Maj. Wichean Glanprasert, 47, was killed during a motorcycle patrol before dawn. Thai media reported that the car dragged the officer and his motorcycle for several dozen feet as it sped through the residential neighborhood.

The Yoovidhya family was ranked the 4th richest in Thailand this year by Forbes magazine, with a net worth of $5.4 billion.