VietNamNet Bridge – The police of Thanh Khe District in Da Nang city have charged an American man with disturbing public order and willfully caused injuries to others.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Tran Thanh Hai, deputy police chief of Thanh Khe District, on the afternoon of July 27, Dennis Marshall Gray, 68, caught a taxi from the Hoang Anh Gia Lai building where he resides to the Han Market and paid VND46,000 fare ($2.3). On his return, he continued to call a cab driven by Mr. Nguyen Quy.

When the cab arrived at Hoang Hoa Tham Street - Ly Thai To intersection, approximately 300m from the Hoang Anh Gia Lai building, the fare meter jumped to VND51,000. Accusing the driver of fraud, Gray scolded the driver and then tore his car registration certificate and got out of the car. The driver, named Quy, ran after Gray to ask for the fare and was beaten by the American passenger.

Gray refused to pay the taxi charges, and hit his elbow on the face of a passer-by, Ms. Nguyen Cuu Thuy Trang, 40, a resident of Lien Chieu District, breaking her nose.

Ms. Trang said she was beaten by the American man while waiting for the green light at the Hoang Hoa Tham - Ly Thai To intersection. According to the woman, she saw a taxi driver pulling a foreign man’s shirt asking for his fee and he was beaten by the foreigner. Suddenly, the foreign man stepped onto the road and stood in front of her motorcycle. Trang said she smelled alcohol on the breath of the man.

The driver ran after the foreign man to ask for the money. "The foreign man swung his arm to beat the driver but the taxi driver dodged it, so the foreigner’s punch hit straight at my face," Trang said. Seeing her nose bleeding, the foreign man ignored them and walked away, she said.

Trang was later diagnosed with a broken nose and injured jaw bone.

Trang and the film showing her broken nose.

A man was angry with Gray’s behavior so he chased after the American man and used a bicycle tire to put around Gray’s neck to pull him down. The American man fell down and his head hit the car. Many people helped the man to stand up but he pushed them away. Witnesses said his body smelled of alcohol.

The man who used a tire to pull Gray down was identified as Le Van Phuoc, 29, who said that he witnessed the incident from the beginning. Phuoc said he intervened because the foreign man hit a woman and left without saying a word.

A police officer of Thanh Khe District said that the distance from the market to Hoang Anh Gia Lai Building was more than 500m because the driver did not take the usual route. The driver named Quy said Gray could speak Vietnamese and he asked Quy to drive along Le Duan road, not Hung Vuong road, so the distance is longer. Seeing the charge increasing by VND5,000 ($2) compared to previous trips, Gray beat the driver.

"The behavior of Mr. Dennis Marshall Gray and the man who used a tire to pull Gray down are both wrong. We will investigate and punish them, perhaps imposing administrative sanctions," said a Thanh Khe District police officer.

Colonel Ho Thanh Hung, deputy chief police of Thanh Khe district, said the police and the Da Nang Foreign Affairs Department invited Gray to the police station for investigation on the morning of July 31 but he did not come, saying that he had to go to HCM City for business.

According to the Da Nang Foreign Affairs Department, Gray said he worked for a wildlife protection project in Hoi An town. The information is being verified. The department has informed the American Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City about the incident.

According to police, Gray has been residing in the Hoang Anh Gia Lai building for 10 months. His visa will expire on August 5. The police said that Gray’s current and previous neighbors had complained about his behavior after drinking.

Le Ha