“Big Joke” says he needs 2 more days to catch Pattaya pool villa gunmen

UPDATE

The Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn, says he needs just two more days to catch the five gunmen who allegedly opened fire at a Pattaya pool villa yesterday morning.

Surachate visited the scene of the crime yesterday and reviewed CCTV footage. He said he already knew the identities of the gunmen, and they are reportedly part of a criminal group. Surachate praised Pattaya Police for their hard work.

The one gunman whose identity has been revealed so far is Jirarot “Rang” Wattana. CCTV footage captured his movements and police were able to identify him due to his previous criminal history. The footage saw him leaving the villa in a white T-shirt with number 33 on the back.

Rang now faces an arrest warrant for possessing firearms without a permit, carrying weapons into public areas, trespassing, physically assaulting others, colluding to detain others, and destroying others’ properties.

The five gunmen allegedly sprayed bullets at several parked vehicles and forced their way into the rental room there. They also took one man into the bathroom and beat him until he bled all over the floor.

A video by The Pattaya News reports that the renters who the gunmen targeted were simply tourists. They were believed to have been involved in a conflict over some illegal business.

ORIGINAL STORY

Five men allegedly opened fire at a Pattaya pool villa this morning. The suspects reportedly entered the villa located on Jomtien Second Road and fired shots at several parked vehicles. They also allegedly beat up a man, The Pattaya News reported.

Before the alleged shooting, a man knocked on the door of one of the villa’s tenants, asked the renters if they knew a man, and showed them a photo of the man on his phone. All the renters shook their heads, and the man left.

But 15 minutes later, the man reportedly reappeared in a car with five gunmen who started spraying bullets at the villa’s several parked vehicles. The gunmen then forced their way into the room to ask the renters the same question but by gunpoint this time.

A victim pleaded, saying that he and his friends truly didn’t know the gunmen they were looking for. But the gunmen still took one man into the bathroom and beat him until he bled all over the floor.

The gunmen then took three ID cards from the victims and fled the scene. They never said why they were looking for the man in the phone photos.

So far, police have identified one suspect through CCTV footage. The suspect is Jirarot “Rang” Wattana, according to the Commander-in-Chief of Chonburi Police. Rang was last seen leaving the villa in a white T-shirt. The commander-in-chief said the victims may have been mistaken for being involved in a conflict over some illegal business.

The suspects are charged with possessing firearms without a permit, carrying weapons into public areas, trespassing, physically assaulting others, colluding to detain others, and destroying others’ properties.