Police Arrest Pattaya Prison Attacker

August 31, 2012

A 21-year-old gunman was arrested by police for firing 30 shots into Pattaya prison and wounding an inmate. The gunman had been hired by a Chonburi prison inmate to shoot into Pattaya prison, to scare a prisoner inside for an unpaid drug debt.

PATTAYA – August 29, 2012 [PDN]: At 6 a.m., the arrest of the gunman who shot at the Pattaya Remand Prison was announced by Pol. Col Supathee Boonkrong, the vice commissioner of Chonburi provincial police; and Pol. Col. Supachat Piammanut, vice director of suppression divison, Banglamoong Chonburi; Pol. Lt. Col. Nit Withinantakit, the inspector of detective team; and Pol. Capt. Kornpong Sukwisit,vice detective inspector.

Police forces arrested the gunman, Mr. Jirawat Sueasing or Num, age 21, during a raid of a house at 131/4 Moo 4, Tambon Nong Pla Lai, Banglamung, Chonburi. The single-story house sits on 1 rai of land.

Police searched Mr. Jirawat’s closet and found an SK Rifle with 20 bullets in the magazine. Police also seized his black-and-blue Honda Wave 125 S motorcycle, registration code, Ngor Lor Por 567, which he used in the shooting.

During questioning, Mr. Jirawat confessed that he had been hired by “Mr. Dave,” an inmate in Chonburi prison serving time for drug trafficking. Mr. Dave, the alleged “godfather” at Chonburi prison, paid Mr. Jirawat 10,000 baht to fire at Pattaya prison.

Mr. Dave wanted to threaten a Pattaya prisoner who was working as an agent selling drugs for Mr. Dave, but the agent had refused to pay Mr. Dave for the drugs he was given.

Mr. Jirawat was then informed that an SK Rifle with seven bullet boxes containing140 bullets was concealed beside the 10 kilometer stone at Bowin, Sriracha. After being contacted, Mr.Jirawat went out and retrieved the rifle and bullets, and concealed them at his home.

On August 26 at 1 a.m., Mr. Jirawat took out the rifle and rode his motorcycle to Pattaya Remand Prison. He rode to the cassava farm behind the prison, where he staged his attack. He fired 30 times into the prison at the border 4 area, which houses inmates serving sentences for drug trafficking.

After the initial investigation, police turned over Mr. Jirawat to Pol. Lt. Gen. Panya Mamen, commander of police 2; and Pol. Maj. Gen. Jamnong Ratanakul, the commissioner of Chonburi provincial police; to have a press conference in Chonburi.

The next step is for police to prosecute the Chonburi inmate who hired Mr.Jirawat, in order to wipe out the drug dealing network using the prison for its headquarters.