Rapper Killed by Cop in Hit and Run Accident, Report Says: Ruthko Was 25

Rising Cambodian-French hip-hop star Ruthko died in the early hours of Tuesday when his motorcycle collided with a vehicle driven by a police officer who initially fled the scene, cutting short a promising career that had only just begun. According to the Khmer Times, David Rithirut, known professionally as Ruthko, was killed instantly at 1:20 am near Borey Peng Huot in Phnom Penh’s Meanchey district. Surveillance footage revealed the 25-year-old artist was “thrown about 2-3 meters into the air when he collided with the car, falling back, causing him to die instantly at the scene.”

The driver, later identified as police officer Nem Nang, 35, abandoned the scene but was subsequently apprehended and “sent to the Road Traffic Police Office of the Phnom Penh Police Headquarters for questioning and testing for alcohol,” where officials confirmed he “was not intoxicated,” reports the Khmer Times.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ruth Ko (@ruth.ko_official)

Ruthko’s meteoric rise in Cambodia’s music scene began with humble origins. In a March 2023 interview cited by the Khmer Times, he recalled his start: “Back then, I was doing Vine on Facebook, making people laugh, then Sok Visal, the founder of KYH, saw my talent and reached out to me saying we should work together in the future.”

The Battambang native signed with Klap Ya Handz (KYH) at just 17, quickly establishing himself as a formidable presence in Cambodia’s hip-hop landscape. His 2022 breakthrough hit “Westside” catapulted him to online fame, while subsequent releases, including “Stay the Same,” “Change Pt 2,” “Lotus,” “OKG,” and “Brotherhood,” helped build a YouTube following exceeding 130,000 subscribers.

His latest single, “Stay the Same,” showcased his commitment to social consciousness, featuring a collaboration with NGO “PSE” (Pour un Sourire d’Enfant) and French director Kim Chapiron to spotlight street youth and creative education. In another notable track, “Lotus,” Ruthko drew parallels between his life journey and Cambodia’s national flower, reflecting on his struggles in France before achieving success.

“I like to compare my life to a lotus, born out of the mud into a beautiful flower,” he had shared. “Lotus is about what I had to go through in France before leaving for Cambodia. I really hit rock bottom. However, several years later I went back to France as a star singing on stage. It made my French homies and my family really proud for coming this far.”

The news of his death sparked an outpouring of grief across Cambodia’s entertainment industry. Singer and model Nikki Nikki expressed her devastation on social media: “May your soul rest in peace RuthKo! You were and are still a gem no matter what! I am devastated!”

At the accident scene, family members and colleagues gathered in visible distress around the fallen artist, marking the abrupt end of a career that had seemed destined for even greater heights. Beyond his musical achievements, Ruthko had also established himself as a coach on the rap competition show The Rapper Fighter, further cementing his influence on Cambodian hip-hop culture.