A crazed Russian tourist has been arrested for jumping on cars during a rampage on Thai island Phuket on Friday.

The out-of-control holidaymaker with long unkempt hair, blue jeans, and a red shirt sparked panic when he climbed onto vehicles at a 7-Eleven convenience store car park.

He was seen pointing menacingly at passers-by, before scratching and punching a black car while shouting in a hoarse voice.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Anurak Parinyasathirakun of the Wichit Town Police Station, along with 10 officers armed with tasers and batons, responded to the incident at around 5 pm following a report from a concerned onlooker.

They surrounded the hysterical man and tried to calm him down. But when the Russian tourist charged at them, they zapped him with a taser and pinned him to the ground.

He was taken to the Vachira Phuket Hospital for treatment.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Anurak Parinyasathirakun said: 'There was nobody at the scene who knew why the man was behaving like that. He was detained for the damage and we found he was intoxated.'

Initial investigations found that the tourist had gone on an earlier rampage at the condominium where he was staying, before walking to the nearby convenience store and wreaking havoc there.

Police Colonel Chatree Chookaew, superintendent of Wichit Police Station, said the Russian national was 26 years old but declined to identify him.

He said: 'The police team promptly responded to the call and arrived at the scene within just four minutes. The reason behind the rampage is still unknown. We waited for him to sober up before proceeding with questioning, with the assistance of a translator.'

He added that four cars were damaged in the rampage, and urged their owners to file complaints with the police for the tourist's prosecution.