Red Bull Heir Sought For Hit And Run On A Police Officer

Thai authorities are enlisting Interpol to help catch one of the heirs to the Red Bull fortune. Vorayuth Yoovidhya, is accused of a drunken hit and run that killed a Thai police officer in 2012, and the statute of limitations on one of the charges from the incident is set to run out Sunday.

Bangkok police at the time followed brake fluid and oil drips from where one of their colleagues was allegedly struck on his motorcycle and dragged down the street. The fluid led police to a damaged black Ferrari in front of the gated residence belonging to the fourth richest family in Thailand, according to the Associated Press.

Vorayuth, 32, has missed multiple court dates after posting bail after his initial arrest. His grandfather, businessman Chaleo Yoovidhya, helped create Red Bull and co-founded the company behind the popular energy drink and now-recognized global brand. The Vorayuth family is worth $12.5 billion, according to Forbes.

The charge of leaving the scene of an accident will expire on Sept. 3, the five-year anniversary of the incident in which Sgt. Maj. Wichean Glanprasert was killed. The last remaining charge, causing death by reckless driving, won’t run out for another 10 years, according to the AP.

Despite the charges, Vorayuth has not slowed down. The man whose nickname is "Boss," continues to jet-set around the world, living a lavish lifestyle. He has stayed at expensive hotels in Laos and driven a Porsche around London, according to the AP, who tracked down Vorayuth to one of the family’s multi-million dollar English properties in April.

The Thai government rescinded Vorayuth’s passport in May after he skipped out on a court date by leaving the country on a private jet.

Interpol issued a “red notice” for Vorayuth Monday. The notice is an international request to arrest the billionaire, after which, pending extradition, he will be returned to Thailand to stand trial.

“We have been informed that Interpol has issued a Red Notice on the Red Bull heir, and we now have to wait to see what kind of responses we get from member countries,” Thai police spokesperson Col. Krissana Pattanacharoen said in a statement. “We have been working on this case and pursuing it using all means, and this Red Notice is what we can do when we believe that it's possible that he is hiding in foreign countries.”

Border police and the 190 member countries of Interpol will now be on the lookout for Vorayuth.

Bangkok police have taken criticism that they were not working hard enough to capture the scion and that the wealthy are beyond reproach in Thailand. Police have denied the charges.