Mercedes driver punches man after being denied right of way

Nguyen Ngoc Ngan claimed he "felt possessed" in a moment of anger, stating he saw a scratch on his car before getting out to punch the taxi driver.

On the afternoon of 11/8, Nguyen Ngoc Ngan, 55 years old, residing in Lang ward, was sentenced to six months in prison by the Hanoi Area 2 People's Court for disturbing public order.

The incident was recorded by the taxi driver's dashcam. Video: Van Kiem.

During the trial, Ngan apologized to the taxi driver, Nam. He stated that on the evening of 16/4, around 8 p.m., he was in a great hurry to get home after receiving a call from his child informing him his wife had health issues.

Upon reaching Tran Duy Hung street, Ngan repeatedly flashed his lights and signaled to pass Nam's taxi but was unsuccessful. When he reached the Tran Duy Hung overpass, Ngan saw an opening and overtook the taxi. At this point, he noticed the car ahead and there was a collision with the taxi. Unable to maintain his composure, Ngan got out of his car and hit Nam.

Ngan argued that the charge was too severe. The Mercedes driver stated, "I did not intentionally rush to punch the other party; it was just a momentary outburst of anger." He speculated his emotions at the time could be "due to bad luck" or something unusual, "like being possessed", adding that "when the incident happened, everything unfolded very quickly."

The trial panel explained that Ngan is an adult with full legal awareness and therefore cannot use such excuses. The court stated that while Nam sustained no injuries, Ngan's actions negatively affected public order and social safety, directly infringing upon human health, thereby fully constituting the crime of disturbing public order.

Ngan's family compensated Nam with 30 million VND. This compensation served as a basis for the court to consider a reduced sentence for the defendant.