Bangkok drive-by drama: Thai man arrested for opening fire in his car
Police arrested a Thai man who fired a gun from his car, injuring the driver of a sedan parked nearby in a car park on Rama IV Road in the Khlong Toei district of Bangkok.
The shooting took place at about 9pm on January 29, at a car park of the NiHonMaChi Japanese Mall on the Rama IV Road in the Khlong Toei district of Bangkok. The victim of the shooting, 53 year old Thai man Worrasate Krueniam, sought help from Thong Lo Police Station officers and a rescue team after being shot in the right leg.
Worrasate explained that he was shot while sitting in his Toyota Altis sedan. The shot came from outside his car but he could not identify the direction of the bullet. In the picture shared on MGR Online, a hole from the gunshot was visible on the right door of the car.
Officers checked CCTV cameras at the scene and noticed a suspicious car, a white Toyota Fortuner SUV, with a small hole in the door. The SUV driver, a 53 year old Thai man named Amporn Choonate, was seen standing outside his car acting suspiciously.
Amporn admitted to the shooting but insisted it was an accident. Officers searched his car and found an 11mm Colt pistol and 14 bullets in the drawer next to the driver’s seat. Amporn revealed that he picked up the bullet shell and buried it in the plant pot in the area to escape the arrest.
Amporn faces three charges including:
- Section 8 of the Act on Firearms, Ammunition, Explosive, Fireworks, and Imitation Firearm: carrying a gun in a public place without permission and necessary. The punishment will be imprisonment for up to five years, a fine of up to 10,000 baht, or both.
- Section 376 of the Criminal Law: shooting in public places without necessary. The punishment will be imprisonment of up to 10 years, a fine of up to 5,000 baht, or both.
- Section 295 of the Criminal Law: physically assaulting another person. The punishment will be imprisonment of up to two years, a fine of up to 40,000 baht, or both.
