Excessive force: Thai man shot dead after running police checkpoint
A family accused Thai police officers of misusing their power after they shot and killed a Thai man who allegedly ran a checkpoint in the central province of Nakhon Nayok.
The 29 year old Thai man, Arnon “Beer” Ngamroop, was shot and transported to a hospital by officers from Pak Pli Police Station. When Beer’s family arrived at the hospital, they discovered he had already died.
Police informed the family that Beer and his friend, later identified as Thanaphon, refused to comply with an inspection at a traffic checkpoint. Beer reportedly made a U-turn at the checkpoint and drove against the flow of traffic in an attempt to evade arrest.
Police then fired at the vehicle in an attempt to stop Beer from escaping. Officers claimed that Beer also pulled out his gun in an attempt to shoot the police and also reversed his car into them. So, they fired more shots at his vehicle until he came to a stop.
Thanaphon told Channel 8 that neither he nor Beer had a firearm, contradicting the police’s account. He explained that he had argued with his girlfriend and asked Beer to accompany him to an entertainment venue in Prachin Buri province, where they consumed alcohol and drugs.
Upon travelling home and encountering the checkpoint, Beer allegedly panicked and attempted to flee. He turned into an alley, which turned out to be a dead end. Police who followed them then fired three shots into the car, prompting Thanaphon to urge his friend to surrender.
However, Beer refused to do so and made another U-turn in an attempt to escape. While reversing, he reportedly struck several officers, causing them to fire additional shots into the car. Beer was injured during the shooting. Thanaphon surrendered and sought help for his friend.
Thanaphon and Beer’s family believe the officers’ actions were excessive. They argued that running a checkpoint should not have resulted in a fatal shooting. Thanaphon claimed they fled out of fear of drug and alcohol tests but maintained they were unarmed.
Police insist that Beer attempted to fight back with a firearm, and officers had no choice but to shoot in self-defence. They also noted that Thanaphon had a prior arrest for a drug-related offence, while Arnon had been previously charged seven times for drug and theft.
Channel 8 reported that police have yet to release further details regarding Arnon’s case. Thanaphon was charged with drug use and later released on bail set at 50,000 baht.
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