Gunfire erupts in Yala market after minor vehicle collision

A confrontation in Yala’s Malayu Bangkok market ended in gunfire as two men, upset after a minor vehicle collision, ambushed a contractor and fired three shots at his vehicle before fleeing the scene.

Yesterday, August 31, at 1.50pm, the 191 Emergency Response Centre in Yala received a report of a shooting incident at the Malayu Bangkok market. The caller, who was driving a black pickup truck, stated that two men had fired three shots at his vehicle.

The bullets struck beneath the driver’s side window, but fortunately, no one was injured. The assailants then escaped on a black Scoopy motorcycle towards the Paramitae intersection.

Police Lieutenant Chotiphong Siyong, along with a team of investigators, immediately arrived at the scene. They found the pickup truck parked in the market with a bullet hole in the front driver’s door. Initial findings suggested that the assailants had taken the shell casings with them.

The victim, Sakkarin, who is a durian contractor, recounted the events. He mentioned that he was returning home in the market to take a shower when his truck was grazed by a motorcycle.

“I looked back, and he waved at me. I went home as usual, thinking nothing of it. After showering, I drove out and encountered them on the road again.

“We argued, and he pulled out a gun. I got back into my car, and he started shooting while shouting, ‘Do you know who I am?’ I quickly turned around, and he fired three more shots as I drove away.”

The altercation appears to have stemmed from the minor collision, as Sakrin and the assailants had no prior acquaintance. Following the incident, the Yala City Police’s investigation team promptly interviewed Sakrin and other witnesses at the scene, reported KhaoSod.

Police have also instructed all checkpoints to be on the lookout for the black Scoopy motorcycle used by the perpetrators in an effort to apprehend them and proceed with legal action.