Stray bullet hits 7-Eleven worker in Pattaya shootout
A 7-Eleven employee caught a stray bullet, and several vehicles were damaged after a teenage gang opened fire in Pattaya yesterday night, December 10.
The shooting happened around 11.30pm in Soi Nongprue 4, Nongprue sub-district. Police and rescue workers arrived to find 18 year old 7-Eleven employee, Natthaphat, with a gunshot wound to his right arm. He said he was riding his motorcycle past the scene when he was hit by a stray bullet.
Natthaphat was taken to a nearby hospital and is reported to be in stable condition.
Nearby, officers found a white Toyota Fortuner with bullet damage to the front fender. The driver told police he heard three or four gunshots before feeling an impact on his car. When the shooting stopped, he saw a group of teenagers fleeing on motorbikes and in a car and also spotted the injured employee.
According to witnesses, they saw a black sedan with no licence plate and four to five motorcycles gathering in the alley, but when they tried to leave, the sedan chased them. Around seven or eight teens inside reportedly leaned out and fired several rounds from a handgun, which missed the witnesses but hit passing vehicles and the 7-Eleven worker.
The same witnesses said the attackers had shown up the previous night and fired shots into the air and threatened to return.
The Pattaya News reported that, in what could be a related incident, two teenagers arrived at South Pattaya Road around the same time seeking help after being slashed with knives. The victims, aged 15 and 16, said they were attacked near the same area and managed to escape. The two were seriously injured, with one nearly losing a hand.
Police found three spent 9mm shells and a black knife sheath at the scene. Investigators are reviewing CCTV footage, speaking with witnesses, and questioning the injured teens to determine if the attacks are connected. A joint operation has been launched by Pattaya and Nongprue police to track down the suspects involved in both the shooting and the knife attack.
In a similar teen gang clash in Pattaya, on December 9, a confrontation between two rival youth gangs in Pattaya led to gunshots and ping pong bombs, in which one teenager suffered serious injuries.
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