Drunk Road Raging Thai Points Gun At Tourist Van

April 1, 2013

A Pattaya municipal officer used his gun to threaten a van driver transporting tourists on Sukhumvit Road, near the Pattaya Floating Market. The drunk suspect was tailgating the van, and became enraged when the van did not make room to let him pass. He was later arrested.

PATTAYA – March 31, 2013 [PDN]; at 11 p.m., a report of a man in a pickup truck using a gun to threaten a van of people was received by Pol. Lt. Col. Seksan Reuvate, Inspector, Pattaya police station, Chonburi province. The incident occurred on Sukhumvit Road in front of the Pattaya Floating Market, entrance side to Amphur Sattahip.

Waiting for the police at the scene was the frightened tourist van driver, identified as Mr. Boonleang Aphaisit, age 46, address 50/750 Moo 5 Tambon Nong Preu, Amphur Banglamung, Chonburi province.

He said he was driving Russian tourists from the Ambassador hotel, and at the red light intersection of Chaiyapreuk road, a pickup truck driver behind his van continually pressed his horn all the time. So Mr. Boonleang tried to give the way to the pickup truck to let it pass, but there were still the cars on the left lane, so he could not change to the left lane.

Later, he had enough space to let the pickup truck cut in front of his van. But the pickup truck driver pulled up alongside his van, and then took out a gun to threaten him, which frightened the foreign tourists in the van. So Mr. Boonleang slowed down his van and parked at the floating market to avoid getting shot. But he saw that pickup truck was parked at the sentry box at the Pattaya side of the market. So he didn’t dare to continue to drive past with the tourists

Then he notified the police to assist and inspect the pickup driver who took out his gun to threaten him. The arriving police team went to inspect the sentry box of Meuang Pattaya, where the suspect had parked his pickup truck, a grey Mazda, license number PHOR NOR-3813 Chonburi.

Inside the sentry box, police found the suspect, identified as Mr. Chaiyon Chaodon, age 41, address 461/570 Moo 12 Tambon Nong Preu, Amphur Banglamung, Chonburi province.

Officers discovered the heavily drunk suspect was a municipal officer of Meuang Pattaya . The police asked to search his body for the gun, but Mr. Chaiyon informed police that he didn’t have any gun. Then the police searched Mr. Chaiyon’s pickup truck, and found a .38 caliber pistol with bullets, which they kept for evidence.

During questioning, Mr. Chaiyon admitted he got drunk, and that the gun belonged to him, but he was legally registered to possess the firearm. Mr. Chaiyon said he took his gun along with him to protect himself, but denied he had taken out the gun to threaten anyone. He had only driven his pickup truck to pick up his wife at the sentry box.

But finally Mr. Chaiyon confessed that he had used his gun to threaten Mr. Boonleang. He then apologized to the van driver and told him that he didn’t have any intention to hurt him.

After inspecting in detail, the officers coordinated with the police of Nong Preu police station to detain the troublemaker Mr. Chaiyon to prosecute further according to the law.